


Juno Steel and the Last Kiss Goodbye

by azothisdead



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Divergent, Canon-Typical Violence, Depression, I Keep Breaking Juno Steel, Lots of Crying, M/M, Manipulation, More angst, Other, Panic Attacks, Pining, Reunion Fic, Self-Worth Issues, Slow Burn, Temporary Character Death, Trust Issues, Undercover Missions, dealing with mental illness, jupeter, references to past emotional abuse, slightly OOC, spoilers for end of season 2, well deserved character development
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-01-10 19:44:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 80,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18414602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azothisdead/pseuds/azothisdead
Summary: Juno wants to start over. That's why he's leaving Mars. He's spent a lot of time since his last night with Nureyev thinking about what he would do if he ever got the chance to talk to him again, and actually seeing him again is both the best and worst feeling in the world. Juno and Nureyev must navigate their broken relationship as they finally get to see the universe together, even if it's not the way either of them wanted it to happen.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning, this fic came from a truly tragic idea I had for season 3, and it's gonna hurt the heart a whole lot before it gets better. And I promise it'll get better, but what was supposed to be a short little drabble turned into a multichapter beast that I'm not even halfway done with writing, much less editing. Because of that, I've decided to release chapters every other week on either Tuesday or Wednesday as my schedule allows. I hope y'all will join me for this journey, but I know following unfinished fics isn't for everyone. I'll be posting on Tumblr (I have the same username there) when I release new chapters and when the fic is completed. I will also be adding more tags as they become relevant, so please check those with every update. Without further ado, please read this and cry with me.
> 
> Recommended Listening For This Chapter:  
> Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison  
> So Far Away- Red

“Hello Juno. It’s been a while.”

In the split second Juno has between registering that Peter Nureyev is standing in front of him and hearing him say his name like nothing ever happened between them, several thoughts make their way through his head. His heart soars as he remembers every soft word and touch all at once, each one scarily vivid in his memory. He remembers the first case they worked together and the cologne that left such an imprint on him. He remembers how Nureyev looked in Miasma’s base after all the torture. He remembers how Nureyev shared everything with him, how he came back for him, so relieved that he was still alive.

And he also remembers the night after that, when he left Nureyev in the hotel room to wake up by himself. He remembers Nureyev saying his name quietly as he shut the door. He’d turned the moment over thousands of times in his head every day since, always wondering whether Nureyev had said it in his sleep thinking that he was still wrapped up in Juno’s arms, or whether he had woken up just enough to realize he was already gone. Either way, the guilt hits Juno like a freight train. It had started to disappear the last few weeks in the aftermath of O’Flaherty and Newtown and uprooting old familial hurts. He had started to feel like a new man, and being faced with Nureyev now reminds him of just how much he really deserved to feel that guilt in the first place.

And just like that he’s back in the moment, staring dumbstruck at Nureyev and unable to say a word. Juno can’t read his face. He has his sunglasses on, leg up on the car in that overly dramatic way that would have looked silly if anyone else did it. Nureyev makes it look elegant. God, Juno missed him.

Rita is already on her way up into the ship’s bay. She’s taken the helmet off and handed it over to Jet, and is looking at their new companions. Her eyes pass over Nureyev and Juno realizes that she’s met him before and could blow his cover, whatever it was this time. And that’s when Juno panics over what to call him. The seasoned detective in him takes over.

Nureyev used his name, which means he had to choose an alias that was already connected with Juno. That was either Rex Glass or Duke Rose, except when he was Duke, Juno had a cover story too. It was busted, granted, but Nureyev probably wouldn’t have used that alias anyway considering their story had been posing as a married couple. Rex was the most likely possibility, but there was always a chance that Buddy and Vespa and Jet knew him as Peter Nureyev.

No. Nureyev never gave out his real name. That he had given it to Juno had been an enormously taxing gift for him, and Juno knew exactly why. No, he only shared his name with people he trusted completely. And he had shared it with Juno. The weight of Peter Nureyev’s name was heavy on his heart, and Juno couldn’t think about him as Peter in this moment. It hurt too much. He’d spent months avoiding it in an effort to get it out of his head. He didn’t deserve it anyway.

Nureyev, then. He had called him Nureyev for the most part anyway. It was only during that last night they had shared that Juno had dared to call him Peter out loud. Nureyev had smiled, wide and genuine, and pulled him closer.

Or maybe it was a new alias? One that Juno would have to figure out himself? Damn, then what was Juno’s connection to this new alias? Either way, he didn’t quite think himself capable of coherent speech right now, so he didn’t try to respond.

Buddy and Vespa were ecstatic to meet Rita. Jet takes her hand, helping her up into the ship like a gentleman to introduce her to the happy couple. “Buddy. This is the excellent hacker you requested that I bring along with Juno Steel. She has quite a wonderful personality.

Rita, of course, blushes and starts bouncing up and down the way she tends to do when she’s excited. “Oh! You must be the really nice lady who saved Mista Steel!”

It’s Buddy’s turn to blush now and she says, “Well I wouldn’t go so far as to say that…”

Vespa chuckles good naturedly and sticks out her hand. “That she did, and Jet here too. He did help save me first though. It’s good to meet you, I’m Vespa.”

“It’s nice to meet ya too Miss Vespa!” Rita enthusiastically shakes her hand and moves to do the same with a slightly bewildered Buddy. Juno could relate, she’s quite a handful to begin with. Well, not that she’s never _not_ a handful, but if he got used to her then they certainly would too.

Buddy turns and waves Juno onto the ship. “You too, detective, get your ass up here and say hi to my wife!” Juno is shocked back into motion, glancing once at Jet who was in the process of loading his bike into the ship’s bay.

He looks back to Nureyev, who hasn’t moved an inch. He’s still wearing that easy smile on his face, too. Juno really wishes he’d put on a helmet when Jet told him to right about now. Nureyev gets to hide his eyes behind a shield while every emotion Juno is feeling is probably plastered on his face for everyone to see. Juno blinks twice to try and knock himself out of it. “Yeah… yeah, I’m coming.” He takes a couple unsteady steps forward and has to stop to let out a hacking cough. The sand wasn’t completely out of his lungs yet. 

Jet has managed to get his bike into the bay at this point, and Rita is talking Buddy and Vespa’s ears off. It gives Juno a modicum of privacy to calm down his burning lungs, although he can still feel Nureyev watching him like a hawk. When he feels a little bit better, he straightens himself up and steps up into the bay.

He’s only a few feet away from the Ruby 7 now. Only a few feet away from Nureyev. And Nureyev is cool and collected and acts like they’re old friends. He still wears the same cologne, and Juno is hit with a wave of painful nostalgia.

“Oh Juno, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten what happened between us? I know I didn’t.” The words cut through Juno like a knife. They fire him up and suddenly he can speak again.

“I haven’t forgotten. I think about it every god damn day.” He takes a step closer, and another. He’s right in front of Nureyev now. He’d be looking into Nureyev’s eyes if he’d only take off those sunglasses. “Every. Damn. Second.”

And finally, _finally_ , Nureyev reacts. His smile gets a little sadder, and he reaches up to take off his glasses. His eyes are just like Juno remembers them, dark and lively. He puts his sunglasses in a pocket, and runs a hand through his hair. “Juno, I… Well, to be honest I had prepared for you to react in a number of different ways, but I hadn’t anticipated you to say something like that.” 

“There’s nothing I can say that can fix this.” _I wouldn’t even know where to start._

Nureyev sighs and reaches out to rest his hand on Juno’s shoulder. Juno winces and takes a step back. He doesn’t want Nureyev to touch him, hearing his voice again and getting a whiff of that cologne is already enough of a whirlwind as it is. Now that his sunglasses are off, Juno can see a flash of… something in Nureyev’s eyes. And as quickly as it had appeared it was gone again. 

And that’s when Buddy calls out to him again. “Hey, Steel! You can catch up with Glass later, I wanna properly introduce you to the love of my life!” Ah, so Rex Glass was the alias after all. Juno didn’t feel any of his usual pride at figuring out what Nureyev’s game was, just relief that Rita’s experience with him would be consistent.

Juno is glad for the distraction. He turns away from Nureyev to join the ladies and shakes Vespa’s hand. “It’s good to see you again. I’m glad we got you out.”

Vespa grins at him and leans a little further into Buddy. It’s very obvious that they’re still in the honeymoon phase. “I’m glad you got me out too. Every day is a breath of fresh air, and having Buddy back for real this time is more than I ever thought I’d get again.” It’s a little wistful, but Juno gets the sentiment. He’s happy for them. Helping Buddy get Vespa back felt like the only good thing he’d done in a long time, and seeing them together now made him feel like he’d made the right decision in joining them again.

Knowing that he’d also be working with Nureyev again was disconcerting and extremely nerve-wracking, but it was worth it to know that he was doing okay. If Buddy could undo some of her mistakes, then maybe Juno could too.

But that’s just wishful thinking. Still, it gives a lady hope.

It’s at that exact moment Rita recognizes Nureyev and squeals. Very loudly. Right beside Juno. “OH! Agent Glass! Boy, I sure wasn’t expecting to see you here!” She starts making her way towards him but stops abruptly. “Wait. Didn’t Mista Steel arrest you?”

Nureyev chuckles and hops off the car. “Yes, Miss Rita, that _would_ be how Juno and I met.”

Buddy doubles over laughing. “Gosh, Glass you really made a point of leaving out that little detail when you were telling me how you knew our newest recruit.”

“I was certainly hoping to leave out that bit of the story. It definitely wasn’t the best getaway I’ve ever pulled, not for Juno’s lack of trying.” Nureyev goes to take Rita’s hand and kisses it, ever the gentleman. “Though it is good to see you again, dear.” Rita swoons a little, but his eyes meet Juno’s as he says this. Juno can’t help the shiver that runs up his spine.

Jet comes out again to say something to Buddy, who turns back to the rest of the group and claps her hands together. “Alright, everyone in! We’ve got a thrty minute preflight and I wanna get off this planet as fast as we can. The HCPD doesn’t take kindly to unauthorized space ships landing just outside Hyperion City.”

The bay doors close, and Buddy heads to the cockpit with Vespa. Jet picks up Rita’s bag and says, “This way, Rita. I will show you to your new room.” They head off, Rita chatting excitedly about having her own room on a spaceship and how nice everyone is and yada yada yada. Her voice fades off down the corridor, Jet’s low tenor interjecting every once in a while.

And now Juno is truly alone with Nureyev. He has no idea what to say, and he can’t figure out what’s going on in Nureyev’s head. He always was impossible to read.

“I must thank you for not exposing my cover. I have a feeling our friend Jet may have an inkling of who I really am, but Buddy and Vespa certainly don’t.”

“I almost thought you’d have picked a whole new name this time around.” Juno turns around to face Nureyev when he hears footsteps approach him. “Rex Glass certainly has a lot more baggage than you’d prefer.”

Nureyev’s smile doesn’t falter for a second but Juno can easily see how his eyes flicker. “Only on Mars. You’re aware of all my real baggage anyway, Juno.” 

It feels really good to hear him say Juno’s name again. It hurts too, but it’s better than how the distorted version of Nureyev in his nightmares says it. It sounds eerily similar to his dream in that Free Dome pod. A chill runs down Juno’s spine when he sees the way Nureyev is looking at him now. He was Rex Glass before, but now he’s all Peter Nureyev. He looks sharper, more dangerous and angrier.

Juno’s shoulders slump. “I can’t fix this, Nureyev,” he says again.

Nureyev actually chuckles at that, the bastard. “Did I ask you to fix it? I just want to know why.”

There isn’t much Juno can say to that. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I left you like that. I should have woken you up so we could talk about it like adults but I was a coward. I don’t have any excuse, but the guilt is killing me and I’m so fucking sorry.”

“I appreciate the apology, Juno, but it doesn’t really do me any good. It’s still not an explanation.” He isn’t backing down.

What the hell can Juno do? He doesn’t have a reason for walking out like that, at least not one that he can put into words. When things happen too quickly and big emotions are involved, he second guesses himself. It’s like a pit opens up inside him. It’s a black hole that strips all of the good feelings away and leaves only an empty feeling behind. It feels like fear, and it eats him alive, even though he knows logically that nothing is wrong. The only thing that sates the black hole is getting far enough away from it that he feels _something_ , even if it’s something awful. Like guilt and heartbreak.

There’s no way to put that into words that Nureyev will understand. So Juno forces himself to look up at him and tries anyway. “I wasn’t good enough to leave Mars with you. I didn’t lie to you; believe me, I have never wanted anything in my life as badly as I wanted to see the universe with you. I had to change, and so did Hyperion City. I don’t feel good, but I feel better, and that’s all I have to offer you. I can imagine what you felt when I left and I’m sorry I’m just another person who betrayed you and I’m sorry I’m leaving Mars now and I didn’t know you’d be here and if you want me gone I’ll understand but this is all I have now and I swore if I ever got the chance to see you again that I’d tell you how much you make me feel and I’m—” Juno’s words are so rushed at the end and he’s gasping for a breath when Nureyev interrupts him.

“If you say ‘sorry’ again I might just have to stab you.” He looks furious. Juno shuts up immediately and stands frozen in place. He can’t recall Nureyev ever threatening someone so overtly or with so much malice. “I know exactly how you feel, Juno, and I understand. But this isn’t about the way leaving me behind made _you_ feel. This is about the fact that you betrayed _me_ and how that hurt _me_.”

Juno nods and hangs his head. A coward again: trying to preserve the image of a happy, sleeping Nureyev in his head from so long ago despite how Nureyev’s current expression is twisted and pained. He doesn’t think he’s succeeding, but it’s like he said earlier: he can’t fix this.

“I gave you everything Juno. My work, my life… I was ready to give that up for you. I gave you my heart and my name. When you walked out of that hotel room and left me behind, you broke my heart and took my name. I left Peter Nureyev behind that night, too. That name belongs to you and you alone now.”

Juno is having a hard time holding back tears at this and hopes Nureyev doesn’t notice. He remembers calling out _“Nureyev?”_ to the man in his dream and getting a response of _“No, I don’t think I recall that name.”_ Looking back on that dream in the time since, he thought he was just punishing himself, and maybe he was, but Nureyev is reopening the wound. He’s carving it into Juno’s heart with that quick knife of his. That conversation might as well have actually happened.

And Nureyev continues. He has more words to hurt Juno with. “Someone trying to do good almost destroyed that city you love so much, and you almost helped him instead of stopping him. You of all people should know that good intentions don’t always lead to the best results, and you don’t get to decide what’s good for me.”

“I—” Juno says in a small voice, about to apologize again before he stops himself. “I know,” is what he says instead. “And I’m going to do better. So whatever you need from me to move past this and work as a team, I’ll do it.”

Nureyev opens his mouth to respond but it’s at that moment that the intercom crackles to life. Buddy’s voice comes down into the ship’s bay. “I don’t know what the hell you two’ve got goin’ on down there, but you can sort it out later! Glass, I need you to show Juno around the ship before take off, because I’ve got a feeling our detective here is gonna get space-sick. I’d rather have him throw up in a toilet and pass out in a bed than do it in the hall or something.”

Nureyev is instantly Rex Glass again as he shouts back, “Of course! I’ll get him squared away.” He turns and smiles at Juno as if the last ten minutes of conversation haven’t utterly wrecked Juno’s world, undoubtedly for the sake of Buddy’s security cameras. Now that he’s aware they’re being watched, his entire demeanor changes and Juno realizes that he’ll have to treat Nureyev like Glass for the time being. He won’t be able to separate the two in his head, but he has to try. Otherwise, he thinks, they’ll tear each other apart being on the same team.

Juno decides to try and act normal, but he knows that at least Nureyev and possibly Rita will be able to see right through him. “Space-sick?” he asks, regaining his normal posture.

“Going into space for the first time is quite the experience, dear detective. I imagine your difficulty with heights might make it a little worse for you than it is for others.” Juno gulped. He hadn’t actually thought about the logistics of leaving the ground when he made the decision to leave the planet. This trip was already shaping up to be—quite literally—a hell of a ride.

Juno hefts his bag over his shoulder and starts making his way towards the hall that Jet and Rita took earlier, but Nureyev grabs his arm to stop him. It’s a feather-light touch, and it lasts only a second. He stops and looks over his shoulder to Nureyev. “Not so fast, Juno. Our quarters are on the other side of the ship. This way.” He gestures to an identical hall corridor on the opposite side of the cargo bay.

“Yeah sure. Just show me where to drop my bag and I’ll get out of your hair.” Juno doesn’t have any more energy left to deal with his emotions today. He wants to get off of Mars as fast as possible and pass out so that he doesn’t have to face Nureyev anymore today. 

Nureyev grins and bows his head a little. “Ladies first.” It’s so like him to be a gentleman and so at odds with the things he’s just said. This game he’s set up has them acting like everything that’s happened since the first time the kissed just… never happened. In a way it’s what Juno wished for. A total reset. Everything would go back to the way it was, except they’re not in Hyperion City anymore and they both have to hide just how much they’re feeling. Just what he wanted.

Juno puts on his best face and smiles at Nureyev like they’re still at the Kanagawa estate. They’re on their next adventure together, and just like last time the first step will be getting used to Rex’s banter. “Lead the way.” He means it literally and figuratively.

_Juno Steel, what have you gotten yourself into this time?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do want to put it out there that I relate to Juno heavily in a lot of different ways, which probably says a lot about my mental state haha, but I mention it so that you will know where some of this is coming from. The black hole description is important to me especially, because it's closest thing I have to describe what it's like to run away from things you love. I've done that, and although this is a VERY different circumstance, I kind of know what it feels like afterward. It's a pain that's hard to describe, and so are the reasons behind it, but it's really cathartic for me to walk Juno through the steps of recovering from that in the same roundabout way that I did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand the second installment! I struggled a lot with this chapter, and I'm starting to set things up. This is turning into less of a short heartbreaking romance and more of an actual story? Anyways, please let me know what you think!
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> Cupid- Taylor Phelan  
> Broken Arrow- The Script

Nureyev leads Juno down a metal corridor. It looks like what most people expect to find on a space ship, but somehow it’s more homey. There’s art on the walls and once they turn a corner into another hall there’s actually carpet on the floor. There are three doors here, one on either side of the hall and one at the end. “This is one of the residential suites on this ship. Here are your quarters, Juno.” Nureyev gestures to the door on the right.

Juno slides his hand over the panel to open it and steps inside. It’s about the size of his office, a bed in one corner and a large porthole on the opposite wall. A relatively large sliding door on the left seems to be a closet, and there’s also a small dresser with a mirror above it. It feels very threadbare, but Juno didn’t really bring that much with him anyway. He makes a mental note to search for cameras when he gets the chance. “How quaint.”

Nureyev is still standing in the doorway. “My room is the one at the end if you need anything, dear,” he says with a flourish and a wink that has Rex Glass written all over it. It stings a little, but Juno pushes away that feeling. “Now, why don’t you drop your bags here so I can show you around before we take off.”

Juno tosses his bag on the bed and leaves the room quickly, eager to be done with the tour as fast as possible. The door shuts automatically behind him. Nureyev opens the door across from Juno’s room to reveal a small bathroom. Again, it’s nothing special, but Juno can see some of Nureyev’s stuff on the counter. He wouldn’t have noticed, except the room smells faintly of Nureyev’s cologne and sure enough, there’s a bottle of the stuff right in front of him. Looks like they’ll be sharing this bathroom then. At least the bath tub doubles as a shower.

The door shuts again. “The bathroom, self-explanatory. Let’s show you the common area.” Nureyev starts backtracking down the hall and makes three turns before leading Juno into a small kitchen looking area. There’s a dining table in one end and steps leading down into what looks like a living room. Buddy and Vespa have definitely left their mark here. There are blankets thrown over couches, a large TV sits in the corner, books and magazines lay strewn around, dirty dishes in the sink. It’s like a mobile apartment.

Nureyev shows him around a bit more of the ship before finally leading him back through the common area to what can only be called the bridge. Buddy and Vespa are seated at a front console, with Jet at what looks likes a comms station behind them. Rita is tapping away on a computer in the corner. She’s silent, which can only mean she’s focused. Looks like Jet has already set her up with something to do or she found something to do herself. Juno wouldn’t put it past her.

“Our detective here knows his way around the ship now!” Nureyev announces as the two of them enter the room.

Juno scoffs. “It’s safe to say I’ll get lost. This sure is a big ship, Buddy.”

Buddy laughs but doesn’t look away from what she’s doing. “I hope so, it’s all we’ve got left. For now anyways!” She’s flipping switches and coordinating something with her wife. For Juno, who only figured out how to work his comms a couple weeks ago, what they’re doing is impossible to follow. 

He takes a moment to look through the expansive windows that come up almost like a dome around the bridge. Hyperion City stands tall in the distance. It’s just a dome from here, but Juno can picture almost every high-rise and hear every bustling sound in his head. The calm of the night used to make the surface of Mars look a little eerie, but now it just looks lonely, red color dulled by the Sun’s setting. He’s glad to be leaving for real this time. Juno knows he said he wouldn’t look back, but now it seems silly not to. He’ll probably never get the chance to see this again.

After everything Hyperion City put him through, he still tried his best to save it. Maybe it’s more than he deserved, but Juno is proud of himself. He’s proud to see that it’s still standing and that the people in it are going about their lives like nothing happened. He’s not a hero and he never will be, but now he feels like he can finally leave without giving up a part of himself. The part that was linked to Hyperion City started dying in a Martian tomb almost a year ago and finally gave out today.

It feels good. Like a breath of fresh air. He’s completely zoned out, and doesn’t notice when Nureyev takes a seat on what is essentially bench sticking out of the wall and buckles himself in. Everyone else is already strapped into their seats as well. It takes Rita’s voice to snap him out of his reverie. Juno’s chest gets tighter at the prospect of leaving the ground. Why didn’t think about the heights when he signed up for this?

“Mista Steel! Mista Steel, you gotta sit down and put those straps on. Buddy says it’s gonna be a little bumpy!” Juno refocuses on the cabin and can feel that it has started to shake slightly. The only empty seat left is on that bench, so he rushes over and tries to buckle himself in next to Nureyev.

His hands are shaking, and it takes him a moment to attach the first buckle. He has four more to go, and he can actually feel the ship beginning to take off. Outside a dust cloud covers the windows, but not before he sees the ground get further and further away. He manages to get another buckle in place. Three to go. He’s hyperventilating.

Juno doesn’t even realize he’s closed his eye until he feels gentle hands clip the rest of the buckles into place. He opens it to see Nureyev adjusting the straps. Juno stares at him, still shaking, but Nureyev doesn’t look back at him. He stoically buckles Juno into the safety straps without saying a word. When he’s done helping Juno, he adjusts his own straps and looks up at the sky.

“Thank you.” Juno lets out in a quiet, shaking voice.

Nureyev smiles at him, that soft way that Rex did once upon a time. It even reaches his eyes. “You’re welcome.” It gives Juno whiplash. Nureyev doesn’t need to be playing him like this. Juno won’t blow his cover or hurt him. It must be some sort of petty revenge, although Juno really didn’t think Nureyev was the type.

_It doesn’t matter right now anyway. I can deal with feelings later._

The rumbling in the ship doesn’t actually get any worse, which Juno is thankful for. It does, however, last for a solid twenty minutes or so. It wouldn’t be so bad if Juno had something to hold on to or focus on as a distraction, but they’re sitting on a bench and not in one of the pilots’ seats with armrests, and he doesn’t have his comms on him right now. His eye is shut tight again and his breathing is anything but steady. A panic attack sure is a great way to start a whole new life. Not.

Suddenly, the ship drops in a particularly turbulent burst. Juno bites his lip to keep from shouting, but he can hear someone else in the room gasp sharply. Before he knows it, Juno is squeezing Nureyev’s hand so tightly it feels like he might crush his bones. He doesn’t even have time to be embarrassed because the ship drops again. He lets out a short, squeaky whine. Juno wants to let go but the cabin feels too small and too big all at once and he’s holding onto Nureyev like a lifeline. There’s no time to think about why Nureyev is letting him do that.

And then the ship’s shaking just stops. There’s a moment of weightlessness before something below them clicks and comes to life with a whirring sound. Gravity takes hold again. Juno vaguely makes the connection that it must be artificial gravity, because he opens his eye directly to the cockpit’s skylight to see stars. They don’t look closer than they did before, but they have a whole new life to them. 

Buddy and Vespa unbuckle themselves and get up. “Who wants a drink?” Vespa asks. She gets a round of yeses from the cabin, but Juno shakes his head and tries to regain his bearing. Rita’s expression is that of awe and wonder, and Buddy hasn’t even looked up from her console. She’s probably seen this lots of times before, like Nureyev.

“It’s quite something, isn’t it?” Nureyev says quietly beside him. Belatedly, Juno realizes he’s still holding his hand. He snatches it away quickly and opens his mouth to apologize. The tender expression on Nureyev’s face hardens slightly, betraying Rex’s character. He’s usually better than that at maintaining his cover. Juno wants to say sorry but… right. No more apologies. Nureyev doesn’t want to hear them.

Instead, Juno looks up at the stars again. “It’s beautiful. I can see why you didn’t want to stay on Mars for long. Or anywhere, really.” It’s pensive, but looking out into the great beyond, Juno thinks it might just be the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. And it’s right then that the reality of being in space catches up with Juno’s stomach and he knows he going to be sick.

He unbuckles himself as fast as possible and takes off in the direction of the common area. There has to be a bathroom there, and Juno doesn’t remember the way back to the one across from his room. He just barely makes it before he hurls and collapses on the tiled floor beside the toilet.

He has to throw up one more time before he feels good enough to come out. He’s been in there for a little over half an hour. Rita is waiting outside the door for him. “Oh, I just _knew_ this would happen! Come on Mista Steel, let’s get you back to your room.”

“You’re the best, Rita,” Juno says tiredly, and leans on her a little for support. She starts leading him back to his room. “Wait, how do you know where my room is?”

“Oh, Agent Glass gave me the full tour while you were in there! This is such a neat ship. Although I guess I shouldn’t call him ‘agent’ anymore should I?” Juno tunes her out as they make their way through the maze of hallways. He’s tired and loopy and just wants to lay down until his stomach and the ship stops spinning.

Finally, they come to a hallway that Juno recognizes, and he waves his hand to open the door. Rita moves his bag from the bed to the dresser and helps him into it. She doesn’t try to undress him and tuck him in, which he appreciates. “Thanks, Rita. For this and for coming with me.”

“You’re welcome! This is gonna be such a fun adventure so make sure you get your rest so we can get to it!” Juno grunts in acknowledgement as Rita shuts the door. Vaguely, he wonders why she isn’t getting space-sick like him, and then he passes out.

* * *

_Juno wakes up to the sensation of running. It doesn’t make sense, because he was just asleep. How can he be running if he wasn’t awake? He’s sprinting through a bunker of some sort. It’s not Miasma’s, it’s… he can’t remember where it is but he knows he’s been here before._

_“Keep going,” says a soothing feminine voice in his ear. “Keep going, you’ll get there soon.” Juno gets the feeling he’s chasing something that he doesn’t want to be chasing. He tries to stop, but his body doesn’t respond. It just keeps running. He feels like he’s panicking but his body isn’t doing any of the usual things it does when he panics. It feels weird and it makes the whole thing worse somehow._

_He tries to remember what he’s chasing and why, but he can’t. He tries to remember where he is, how he got here. Nothing is coming to surface. “Let go,” the voice says to him, “I will take care of you.” Something about it feels so wrong to Juno, but at the same time there’s a small part of him that asks why not._

_If he isn’t actually panicking then he doesn’t have anything to panic about. Logically, that makes sense. It feels wrong, but if he ignores that feeling the voice will take it away. Juno keeps running. He doesn’t even think about it because he doesn’t have to. It actually feels kind of nice to not have to be the one to motivate his body to do something._

_He hears the voice repeat “let go” in his head over and over again. There’s no source, but why should that be a problem?  
Juno closes his eyes, inside his head at least, and relaxes. He doesn’t have to try for it. He just lets go._

* * *

Juno wakes up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. He just lies there for a moment trying to process that he is awake and that he was just dreaming. He curls his knees to his chest and attempts to slow his breathing. In, and out. In, and out. It takes a while, but Juno finally manages to take deeper breaths and calm his racing heart slightly.

_It’s just a dream._ Juno keeps telling himself that, but it isn’t the first time he’s had this particular dream. It won’t leave him alone. This time, though, it triggered a panic attack worse than the usual ones. He chocks it up to the fact that he’s finally left Mars and unburies his face.

Right, he left Mars! Juno gets up and surveys his room, now that he has time to do so. There really isn’t much to it, but judging by the way the rest of the ship has been personalized and decorated, he figures that Buddy probably intended for him to make himself comfortable in his own space. 

He tries to boot up his comms to check the time, but it’s dead. No battery. He fishes out an adapter, plugs it in, and tosses it on the bed to charge. Juno opens the door to the hall to find that the lights are much dimmer than they were earlier. The porthole is completely dark, but that’s to be expected given that they’re in space. The ship is probably on a night cycle then. He shuts the door and goes to unpack.

He didn’t bring that much stuff with him to fill the room with, but he also packed everything in his apartment that mattered. It wasn’t a lot: a good amount of clothes, his favorite bottle of Martian bourbon, and some photographs. Juno really wasn’t leaving much behind, huh.

He puts the clothes away first and fishes his toiletries out from the corners of the bag where he hastily stuffed them before leaving. The bottle of bourbon goes on the dresser, along with a set of four nice glasses that Mick bought him as a going away present.

Juno hesitates when he puts the bottle down, and then pours himself a small drink. He doesn’t know when he’ll be able to get more, so he wants to drag this one out as much as possible. He takes a sip and pulls out the photos. Most people don’t keep actual photographs these days, but these are relics from Oldtown. One is of him and his friends in their teens: Mick is smiling wide in the middle and has his arms thrown wide across everyone else’s shoulders, Sasha is standing beside him trying and failing not to smile at whatever joke he just said, Annie is holding up a piece sign, and Benzaiten is hugging a disgruntled but happy Juno. Those were the good old days. This photo goes onto his nightstand.

Then there’s a photograph of him in his old wedding dress. He doesn’t spend too long looking at it: it brings up old memories that he’d rather leave behind on Mars. That relationship wasn’t like the one he had with his family or Hyperion City; it was one where things went south and for once he was happy that they did and he got out. It goes in the bottom drawer of the dresser, face-down under his socks.

The next one is of Juno and Ben on their tenth birthday, back before Mom was fired and lost the little control she had left. Neither of them is paying attention to the camera because they’re too busy playing with the new radio they just got. The right side of the photo is folded to hide the part with Sarah Steel. He couldn’t bear to cut her out of it, but he doesn’t want to see her in it either. This one gets a spot on the dresser next to the bourbon.

Rita is in the next one. It’s a selfie she had taken with her comms one day in their office a couple years ago, when they had first started operating independently. Juno had insisted that she get it printed for him. He had tried to act nonchalant about it, but his best guess is that Rita picked up on how important it was to him. She always does. Where would he be without her? Probably not in space. This one gets to sit on the nightstand too.

It’s at this point that Juno remembers he was planning to check the room for cameras. He does a quick sweep but doesn’t find any. Well, it’s good to know that Buddy actually respects privacy. He’ll bet that the security cameras in the cargo bay are the only ones. He didn’t see any in the common area or the bridge either, but there’s probably a treasure room somewhere else on the ship that has them too.

Juno catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He looks tired, which isn’t anything new. He somehow thought leaving Mars would change him drastically but so far it hasn’t really. Well, Nureyev threw him for a loop, but he hasn’t changed much since last night. Or a couple hours ago, however long it’s been. He feels like he looks different than he did a couple months ago, though. Apparently finding the will to live really tends to improve his complexion.

He’s still wearing his clothes from yesterday. They’re not super dusty anymore, but the shirt is ridiculously rumpled from having been slept in. Juno tugs it over his head, grabs his toiletries along with a change of clothes and a towel he found in one of the dresser’s drawers, and walks quietly across the hall to the bathroom.

When the door opens, he’s hit with a small hint of Nureyev’s cologne. It’s faint, but it still tugs at Juno’s heart. He suppresses the feeling and sets up his own things on the other side of the sink before checking the bathroom for cameras too. It’s clean, and Juno feels like a paranoid old person for checking in the first place.

The door closed automatically behind him when he entered, but Juno inspects the panel next to it to see if he can get it to lock properly. He’s been getting better with technology lately thanks to Rita, but it still takes him a minute to figure out where the lock setting is. Apparently, this panel also controls lighting and sound for the room, which he discovers by setting the lights to maximum and turning on some old Earth piano piece over the speakers. He gets the lights back down to a normal setting and debates whether or not to turn the music off. It’s nice, but right now Juno is enjoying the quiet thrum of the ship around him so he shuts it off and makes a note of how to access the music function again if he wants it another time.

The shower is inside a bathtub built into the wall like the ones in older hotels. It’s a little cramped, but the water pressure is phenomenal. There’s an inlet in the tiled wall opposite the showerhead that houses two shelves. The lower one has various shampoos and body washes on it that Juno assumes have to belong to Nureyev. He can’t help but inspect them, even though they aren’t anything special. He knows Nureyev has always had good hygiene and really good hair. The upper shelf is empty, and Juno deposits his smaller collection on it.

He stands in the shower for longer than he probably should, letting the water just pour down on him. It’s washing away the last traces of Martian soil from Juno’s skin, and somehow it makes his leaving more final. Doubt comes bubbling up in his stomach and Juno feels a little nauseous. Or maybe he’s still space-sick? Either way, he presses his forehead again the tile wall and waits for his stomach to settle. He hasn’t eaten anything and would rather not throw up again on an empty stomach.

It passes after a couple minutes, and Juno shuts off the water. The hot water has basically turned the bathroom into a sauna. The glass of the mirror is completely fogged up, and when Juno opens the door after getting dressed a little steam billows out along with him.

The lights in the hall are still dim, and when he checks his revived comms he realizes it’s a little past four in the morning. At least on Martian time. Juno probably should have asked where they’re headed yesterday, but he was a little too preoccupied with the whole reuniting with Nureyev thing. He lays face down on the bed and groans into a pillow.

He’d thought about Nureyev a lot in their time apart. Sometimes he was at the forefront of his mind and Juno couldn’t focus on anything else. Those moments were usually when he was alone or trying to fall asleep. They attacked him when he was at his weakest. Most of the time, though, it was a subtle acknowledgement in his subconscious that Nureyev was somehow involved in what he was doing, like when he started bringing a plasma knife everywhere or gave a fake name during a case. Either way, he was always there.

The worst days were when Juno tried to forget him. It never worked, and it always made him feel guiltier than before. It’s the kind of feeling that eats people up inside, and Juno was no exception.

Except he’d decided to do better. It was going to be harder with Nureyev around, but Juno is going to prove to himself and to Nureyev that he’s going to do better. Be better. Regardless of where the two of them end up.

Almost as if summoned, there’s a light knock at Juno’s door and he knows instantly who it is. Juno gets up quickly and goes to the door to wave it open. Sure enough, Nureyev is at the entryway. He looks as put together as always, even if he’s just woken up and hasn’t had his coffee yet.

“Can I… Can I come in?” Nureyev is wringing his hands together and looking at Juno sheepishly. This isn’t Rex Glass in front of him. Juno nods and steps aside to let him enter. The door shuts behind him, and Nureyev just stands there.

Juno gestures to the bourbon on the dresser. “You want some?”

Nureyev shakes his head. “Isn’t it a little early in the morning for liquor?”

“Not if you’re me. It feels more like a late night than an early morning.” Juno refills his glass from earlier and downs a good amount of it at once. If he’s about to have another conversation like the one they had last night then he’d rather be properly prepared this time. Maybe alcohol will sooth the pain. 

Nureyev must have read his mind because he frowns and says, “That’s not exactly healthy, Juno.”

Juno shrugs and takes a smaller sip. He gestures to the rumpled bedsheets. “I’d offer you a seat, but that’s all I’ve got at the moment. I know it’s messy; I just started unpacking.”

Nureyev looks to the empty duffel on the floor, and the full closet beside the bed. “It looks like you finished, too.” He doesn’t move to sit down, but he does go look at the photos on the nightstand. He reaches out as if to touch the one of Juno and his friends.

Before he can pick one up to inspect or comment on it, Juno interrupts. “What do you want, Nureyev? I can’t believe you’re here just for small talk.”

Nureyev stops and looks back up at him, the animosity from last night almost all gone. “That’s not my name anymore.”

Juno flinches. “Cut the bullshit. It’s your name whether you ‘gave’ it to me or not.” He puts air-quotes around the word gave. Juno understands the whole symbolism thing Nureyev is going for but he isn’t buying it. As much as he knows Nureyev must be hurting, he refuses to let him suffer and lose more than he has to. Than he already has.

“It just hurts to hear you say it Juno.”

“And it hurts when you say my name, too! You don’t hear me complaining.”

“I—” Nureyev runs a hand though his hair and sighs. “I’m sorry. I actually wanted to apologize to you for yesterday.”

Juno was getting worked up, but all his anger dissipates at that. Nureyev has no reason to apologize. Juno treated him like shit; he has a right to be angry. Sure, it hurts, but Juno knows what he did was awful.

When he doesn’t get a response, Nureyev continues. “I’m still angry with you J—” he starts to say Juno’s name and stops before he gets another letter out. It hurts as much as when he actually says his name. “I’m angry because you wounded me. I can’t forgive you, not yet at least. That doesn’t make it alright for me to treat you the way I treated you last night. Despite everything that’s happened, I do still care about you. And I can’t stand you looking at me the way you’re looking at me right now.”

Juno glances in the mirror. He doesn’t actually know what he’s feeling, only that it’s strong and a little painful. Anguish? Heartbreak? Whatever it is, he doesn’t see anything in the mirror other than his usual tired self. Maybe Nureyev can tell him what he feels. He was always good at reading Juno like that. “And how exactly is it that I’m looking at you?”

“Like you’re waiting for me to hurt you again.”

This catches Juno off-guard. Nureyev is the one who should be wary of Juno, not the other way around. Sure, he’s waiting for more of Nureyev’s wrath. Of course he is: he betrayed him and that merits some sort of punishment. This is it. It’s nothing he doesn’t deserve. _Oh. That’s what he means, isn’t it._

“You don’t want me to try to fix this, you don’t want me to say sorry, and you don’t want my feelings to be hurt? You’re sending a whole lot of mixed signals.” Juno is defensive now. Nureyev said himself that he was being too harsh, and damn it Juno has made a lot of progress in not putting himself down. He’s not going to let this change that.

Nureyev’s expression twists into a grimace. “I know I’m not making a lot of sense. I just want you to know that I don’t hate you, and I shouldn’t have rejected your apology like that. I’m sorry about what I did that night so long ago too.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“I _knew_ you weren’t in any state to make a life-changing decision or commit to a relationship and I asked you anyway. I was selfish, and that pushed you away. So, I’m sorry too.”

Juno explodes and slams his glass down on the dresser. “You don’t _get to be sorry!_ I’m the one who walked out on you, on us! I know I fucked up, and you can’t take that away from me. I’m trying to do better here, and I can’t keep doing that if you take the blame for—for that night. I’m the one who made the mistake. You don’t get to take any of the blame.” Juno’s chest is heaving a little by the end of that. He’s so possessive of his own screw-up because it fundamentally altered the way he saw the world. If Juno loses that, he’s afraid he’ll fall back into who he used to be.

Nureyev is stunned. For a second Juno thinks he’s going to shout right back at him, but there’s a subtle change in Nureyev’s posture that looks almost like relief. And then he looks… impressed? Juno has no idea what’s going on in Nureyev’s head anymore. “Juno… you’ve changed quite a bit while I was gone, haven’t you.”

It wasn’t a question. Juno wouldn’t know how to answer it if it was. A little bit of pride swells up inside him. He’s making a difference to himself, and someone else besides Rita noticed. Nureyev recollects himself.

“Then I won’t apologize for that night. Regardless, I shouldn’t have been so aggressive yesterday. Seeing you again… it was a lot all at once. I’m sure you know the feeling. And for that you have my most sincere apologies.” Juno can see it in his eyes. Nureyev really means it. That tiny flicker of hope in his chest grows ever so slightly.

Juno can sense that that’s not all though. There’s something else here that he won’t like. There’s always a _but_.

“But we can’t have what we did before. I’m not ready for that, and I don’t know that I’ll ever be ready. Outside these rooms, I am still Rex Glass, and I know I’m asking too much of you to act like you did with him before, but I’m asking you anyway because I’m selfish.” Nureyev is telling Juno that what they had is gone and that he still wants to act like there’s something between them. Logically, it makes sense in order to maintain his cover, but Juno doesn’t think he’s capable of keeping Glass and Nureyev separate in his head. It was hard enough just last night.

Besides that… Juno doesn’t even know if he wants what they had before. He ran away for a reason, even if it was a shitty thing to do. Being scared of how he felt was real. If he’s being honest, he’s still scared. There’s a part of him that wants to grab onto Nureyev and never let go, and another part telling him to keep his distance. He’s constantly at war with both parts.

“Nureyev that’s… that’s a lot. I don’t know if I can do that. You’re telling me that everything has changed and asking me to act like nothing has.” He says that as if he hadn’t made that same connection just last night and already resigned himself to live with it. He wants to put it to words so that Nureyev will know that it isn’t easy, that it’s hurting him. It might be petty, but at least it’s out in the open now. 

Nureyev takes Juno’s hand in both of his and holds on when Juno tries to yank it back. “It won’t be the same, I know that, but I’ve missed you. Yes, things have changed! That tends to happen in every relationship. You made a mistake, but I will always support you. It might not be like it once was, but I only ask you to do this so that we can stay here, together. I still trust you with my life Juno.”

His hands scorch Juno’s palm as his words do the same to Juno’s heart. It’s proof that Nureyev still cares, probably as much as Juno does. This might tear him apart. But the fact that they both refuse to acknowledge that they were in love with each other once speaks volumes. The closest they’d gotten so far was Nureyev calling it a relationship. Vague terms only, no certainties or absolutes. He can sense another but coming. “You can really trust me like that? After everything I did?” Juno can’t believe it.

Nureyev’s expression now matches the one he had last night. It is angry and pained and, now Juno can tell, also profoundly sad. “I trust you, Juno, with my life. Just not my heart, not anymore.”

Juno stops trying to pull his hand away. He keeps his eye focused on where they’re joined together. “I trust you.” _with everything._ “You know I meant it when I said I would do anything you asked.” 

“I take it we can keep my cover then?” He gets the sense that Nureyev is trying to end the conversation as fast as possible now. Juno nods, and just like that the tentatively peaceful atmosphere in the room gives way to the tension and awkwardness from before. Nureyev finally lets go of his hand.

He straightens out his shirt and smiles like himself. It’s full and warm in the way that Juno remembers it. “Wonderful. I’m glad we could clear the air, at least a little. Now, I’m off to get ready for the day. Buddy wants to meet in the kitchen and discuss plans over breakfast at 8.” Nureyev glides out of the room, and back into the Rex persona. Juno’s heart aches.

It certainly doesn’t make Juno feel any better, but he doesn’t feel any worse. He just feels… _more_. He doesn’t touch the rest of his bourbon. Nureyev will probably always mess with his head, even if it’s not his intention. Juno doesn’t blame him. People are full of contradictions, and Nureyev is trying just as hard as he is to figure out where they go from here. For now, though, Juno is just glad they’re headed somewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated, thank you for all the support!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers! I seem to have picked up quite a bit of traction, and I want to give a huge thank you for the support! I know updates are slow, but I am very busy with finishing a degree, a job, and concrunching at the same time. This chapter is mostly plot set up! You heard that right, a plot! You may want to brush up on Time Gone By for this one. Please enjoy, and as always I love to hear what you think.
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> Old Love / New Love- Twin Shadow  
> Another Night on Mars- The Maine  
> Love Stories- Little Daylight

Juno can hear Nureyev going to get ready in the bathroom, and chooses to ignore it as best he can. He does smirk a little when he hears the soft sounds of piano through the door. That speaker system must have been something Nureyev set up himself, which means the choice of music was probably also his. Juno realizes they’ve never even discussed something as benign as favorites genres before. They really skipped all the basics and went straight to baring their souls, huh.

He fiddles with his comms while it finishes charging. He’s gotten pretty good at adjusting all the settings, and Rita has been helping him learn how to use more of its functions. More than once, he’s thought about having the system connected to a new cybernetic eye, this time without the malicious Theia to accompany it. It would certainly help him out, but this time he wants to learn to shoot again without help. Call him old fashioned, but he wants to know he’s doing it by himself.

When it’s close to 8, Juno starts making his way to the kitchen, or tries to at least. He gets turned around a couple times but he does manage to find it eventually. Vespa and Rita are pouring coffee into mugs, while Buddy, Jet, and Nureyev are already seated in the living room talking. Juno grabs a mug from the counter and sits down.

“I don’t see why we can’t just sneak in and steal it. Do we really need to run an undercover op first?” Buddy directs this at Nureyev, who has schematics to some building pulled up on his comms screen. He zooms in on a corner of the blueprint that displays what looks like an office.

“This is the study. It is ostensibly at the very end of all their security measures. Even I can’t slip past all of them by myself, much less with someone else in tow. We can at the very least eliminate security personnel if we use the fundraising event as cover, but we’ll need people inside to keep an eye on the boss and their escort. I should be able to make it through, provided our new resident hacker can bypass some of their systems.” Nureyev nods to Rita as she steps down into the room and hands him his own cup of coffee. Vespa is right behind her with mugs for Jet and Buddy.

Buddy sighs. “Okay, so we send two people in undercover. You and Rita are on break in duty, and Vespa will be too recognizable. I’m out since I’ve technically been exiled from this system. Jet’s good for it and…” She looks at Juno inquisitively. “How’s your undercover work?”

Juno makes eye contact with Nureyev before answering. “I’ve done it once or twice. I’m no master. Where are we headed, anyway?”

Vespa sits down on the loveseat next to Buddy. “Baldur. More specifically, one of its moons: Vali. You remember Rasbach? The company he works for set up an embargo because certain Outer Rim governments have started shutting down their Debtors’ Tag operations. Nothing gets on or off the moon. The company is based on Baldur, but they operate off of Vali. Two billion people live on that moon, and they’re basically hostages. We’re going to fix that.” She smirks, and so does Buddy. Even Jet grins a little.

“Oookaay, so what are we stealing?” Rita asks. She’s hooked her comms up to Nureyev’s screen, presumably to download the schematics herself.

“Six ground based anti-gravity generators. And lots and lots of money.” Nureyev positively beams as he answers her. He’s clearly excited for this heist, and his excitement is kind of infectious. “The key that contains all of their rotating passcodes is in the office. We need it to get access to the company’s bank accounts, but also to disable and move the antigrav generators. He swipes across the screen to pull up a photo of one of the generators. It’s not as big as Juno expects, but there certainly isn’t room for more than one of them in the cargo bay of the ship they’re on.

“So we grab this passkey, drain their accounts, and steal six generators from six different locations, all on the same night. Sounds reasonable.” Buddy is entertained, and Juno can’t tell whether she thinks it’s actually possible or not.

“Are the generators not in one location?” Jet pipes up from his seat at the end of the longer sofa. Rita has taken up the rest of the space, legs stretched out in front of her. She’s already finished her coffee. “It would be simpler to take them all from a storage facility.

“The thing is: antigrav technology is quite expensive. They only have six generators, and they’re all in use on Vali. It’s how they imposed the embargo so quickly. They keep anything larger than a two-man transport in the upper atmosphere.”

Buddy chimes in, as if on cue. She and Nureyev are in sync planning this thing. “So we have to get to the planet in small transports. Three teams of two. Vespa and I will get ready to grab one of their larger cargo ships while the rest of you get the passkey. You’ll rendezvous with us, and we’ll nab all the antigrav generators. We get rich, we get cool stuff, and we free the citizens of Vali.”

Vespa smiles, and pulls Buddy into a one-armed hug. “And we get revenge.”

Buddy laughs and gives her a quick peck on the cheek. “That too.”

It’s such a sweet and tender moment, and Juno feels like he’s intruding even though he’s sitting on the other side of the room. Naturally, Rita thinks it’s sweet too, and she doesn’t have _any_ of Juno’s hang ups about being a fly on the wall. “AAAAAAWWWWW!”

Jet jumps a little at her sudden outburst. He hasn’t been around her long enough to expect them. To be fair, though, she still startles Juno every once in a while, and he’s known her for years. “Yes, they are a very wonderful couple.” He lifts his arms to let Rita kick her feet over his lap. They’ve known each other for less than a day, but it already seems like a practiced motion. Jet is just kind of like that, though, rolling with the punches. He and Rita will be good friends.

“Oh my gosh they _are_! That kinda romance don’t come along easy, ya know? Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!” Rita might not be embarrassed, but Juno knows he’s blushing a little even if he’s not involved in this.

Buddy shoots Rita a look that is both aggressive and fond. “Damn right. So I’m gonna hold on as tight as I can!” She turns Vespa’s half hug into a big crushing one that devolves into laughter and giggling. Nureyev laughs too. It’s too much for Juno. He gets up and goes to finish his coffee in the kitchen.

This environment he’s set himself up in is one he’s never really had before. The most stable relationship he’s ever known was the one his mother had with her pills, so to see Buddy and Vespa interact they way they do is foreign to him. Even the comfortable vibe Juno is getting from Rita means that she’s already settled herself in quite nicely to the crew’s dynamic, especially with Jet. Juno can’t help but feel a little left behind.

And Nureyev… well, he knows where he stands there. They get to tip-toe around each other while everyone else watches. Still, he allows himself a small moment to fantasize about them being comfortable in each other’s presence again and sappy enough to do what Buddy and Vespa just did. He’s sure Rita would be like them too with a partner around.

Juno sips his coffee, and it occurs to him that he’s managed to surround himself with powerful and emotionally stable women. If he hangs around long enough, maybe some of that will rub off on him. He certainly hopes so.

There’s another bout of laughter from the living room, and Nureyev’s melodic voice comes up again. “Alright, back to being responsible you lovebirds. Before we can even start on Vali, we have to set up the cover. The fundraising event we’re using is set up as an invite-only poker event. To get an invite, we’ll need to establish Jet and Juno’s cover as wealthy and charismatic members of high society. The best way to do that is by making a big splash here.”

Juno looks into the living room to see that Nureyev’s screen has changed again. Now it displays a greeting card of pastel blue and silver, written in fine script. The text at the top reads ‘Invitation to 756th Annual Ganymede Gala’ and lists RSVP options below it. Juno’s heard of this one. It’s the biggest event in the solar system, on the biggest moon of the solar system, orbiting the biggest planet in the solar system. It’s a pretty big deal. All the big-shots from this arm of the galaxy get together to gossip and generally try to one-up each other.

Surprisingly, Juno knows a lot of people on Mars who go every year. Pilot Pereyra, for one, although they won’t be making the trip this year. The Kanagawas always send at least three or four members of the family. Cecil always goes to cover the event even though it’s quite a bit different form his usual bloody content. He’s supposed to go undercover with _Cecil Kanagawa_ filming? Juno doesn’t speak up; he’s sure Nureyev knows all this and has a way around it already.

It doesn’t really matter to Juno. He doesn’t really know what he expected when he signed up for the wayward traveler lifestyle, but he knew it would involve heists like this. Honestly, he was excited to become a little more like Nureyev. Plus, he got the added bonus of still doing some good. He’ll get the details of his cover later.

Juno tunes out the rest of the conversation and empties his coffee cup as he rummages around the kitchen looking for breakfast. He opens a close approximation of a pantry. The shelves move up and down like a vertical dry-cleaners’ rack, and each shelf has bins sorted with different food items. It all seems to be climate controlled, too. It’s compact, but there’s a decent amount of food here. It makes sense for a space ship to maximize food storage like this.

He picks out something that looks vaguely apple shaped but has a bright blue color. He takes a bite, and immediately gags a little. It doesn’t taste bad or anything, but Juno wasn’t expecting it to have such a soft consistency. The next bite is better, now that he knows what to expect. It tastes like a bitter banana. 

“That fruit is not yet ripe, Juno.” Jet has come up behind him, holding a bunch of empty coffee mugs. He deposits them by the sink, and turns to take the fruit from him. He cycles through the pantry and reaches into another container to pull out an almost identical fruit, this one more purple than blue. “Here. Try this one.”

“Thanks.” Juno takes a bite, and it tastes even more bitter than the first one. “I think I liked the other one better.”

Jet takes back the purple one and eats it himself. “That is not an uncommon opinion.”

They stand there and finish their respective fruits silently. It’s not an awkward silence, but it isn’t an entirely comfortable one either. Juno can still hear talking from the other room, but it doesn’t sound like planning anymore. Rita seems to be telling Vespa a story, but Juno can’t make out the words. Probably a reenactment of one of her streams. She managed to download millions of them before they left, so at least they’ll never be bored on the ship. Juno has a feeling she’ll set up a regularly scheduled movie night within a week.

“So. Jet Sikuliaq.”

“That is my name, Juno Steel.”

“I still can’t believe you just told it to Rita, but where I was _actually_ going with this is that I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that name before.” Juno squints at him, as if looking harder might help improve his memory.

“I am a rather well-known thief. It is why I didn’t share my name to begin with, especially given your time with Rex Glass and my car. He told us how you two managed to steal it from Mr. Angstrom.”

And then Juno remembers where he’d heard that name before. Nureyev had shared it with him when they were stealing the Ruby 7 out in the desert. Originally owned by master thief Jet Sikuliaq. “Oh! That’s you!”

“Yes. That is me. I’ve worked with Mr. Glass before, although he was using a different name at the time. We seem to have opposite preferences when it comes to having our identity attached to our work.” It makes sense that Jet would know Glass isn’t Nureyev’s real name. Come to think of it, Juno shouldn’t have been so concerned about blowing his cover in the first place. Yeah, he does owe Nureyev quite a lot, but if he’s been hired by Buddy then she and everyone else on the ship must know he slips in and out of aliases like he’s just changing clothes.

This paints the conversation they’d had early this morning in a whole new light. Nureyev wasn’t worried about staying Rex Glass, he was worried about not being Nureyev. Juno’s heart warms at the idea that he might be the only person in the world who knows who Nureyev really is. How did he ever discount that to begin with? He’s been hurting Nureyev since they met.

Juno must have been silent for too long, because Jet continues, “I’m sure you know him by one or two other names as well, but I believe there may be more to your relationship than that.” It’s a probing question, but now that Juno knows who Jet is, it makes sense that he would be as keen as him and Nureyev. Hell, he might even be a better thief than Nureyev. 

“Yeah, I know a few of his names. But I doubt I’ll ever know more than that.” At least not anymore. He might have the name Peter Nureyev gave him, but Nureyev doesn’t even think of himself as that person anymore. Juno never got a chance to learn more about the man behind those many masks. He doesn’t address Jet’s second point.

Jet gives him a side eye, but Juno knows he’s not giving anything away. He’s been a PI for too long. That, and he meant every word he said, even if it wasn’t in the literal sense. Nureyev made it abundantly clear that the two of them are at a permanent stalemate. Juno won’t make a move until Nureyev does, and Nureyev won’t make a move at all.

“Do not underestimate him. He is full of surprises. I was expecting to never see him again, yet he shows up on Mars to return my car to me. I missed the Ruby 7 quite dearly.” Jet smiles fondly as he looks back to the living room, where Nureyev has taken a seat in the recliner Juno was in earlier and is deep in conversation with Buddy. He probably missed working with Nureyev, too.

“He does have a habit of showing up unexpectedly.” This is the third time Nureyev has popped back into Juno’s life without warning. He came back to help Juno with the train, he came back to help Juno escape Miasma, and now he’s back again. Juno doubts he’s here for the sole purpose of helping him out, though.

Jet pushes off the counter and begins cleaning up dishes in the sink. “We will likely discuss plans again in more detail later, but it will take us two days to reach Ganymede and the gala isn’t for another week. I suggest you use this time to rest and prepare yourself, but when you feel up to it please climb the stairs at the back of the cargo deck. They lead to the navigation room. I believe you might enjoy it.”

“Thanks, big guy,” Juno replies, and heads back through the living room to try and find his way back to his bedroom. He waves at the group sitting around the coffee table before he leaves. Rita catches his eye and raises an eyebrow. He knows her mannerisms well enough to translate that as ‘we need to talk later’ and reminds himself to spend time with her today. Right now, he’s going to head back to his room, however long that takes, and download a map of the ship onto his comms so that he doesn’t get lost again.

* * *

Juno spends the rest of the day walking around the ship with his new map, trying to memorize the layout. He finds another identical residential suite on the other side of the ship that Jet and Rita share, and an entire new level to the ship that Nureyev didn’t show him yesterday. The engines are louder down here, and there’s a door blocking off half the level labeled ‘Engineering’ that Juno knows he needs to stay away from. The rest of the level appears to be storage, so he doesn’t snoop around too long.

He also wanders into a much larger bedroom somewhere towards the front of the ship and immediately backs out again when he realizes that it probably belongs to Buddy and Vespa. He’s on good terms with them and he really doesn’t want to violate their privacy. Eventually, he manages to find his way back to the common area. He’s almost certain that he knows his way back to his own room now, so it’ll only take a couple minutes to get there instead of half an hour. The ship really is a lot bigger and more complicated than he was prepared for, although it’s much better than cramming all six of them into a regular shuttle.

When he walks into the living room, he sees Rita curled up on the couch where she was this morning. If not for the fact that the huge TV is displaying a bunch of code that Rita is typing out with her handheld comms unit and that Jet is trying to put exposed wires back into place behind it, Juno probably would have guessed she hadn’t moved. “Wow, what are you two up to?”

Jet stops fiddling with the wire he’s holding and throws it down, annoyed. “I am attempting to fix the TV.”

“It’s not broken!” Rita responds without looking up or pausing. Lines of code continue streaming across the TV. 

“It is not working the way it is supposed to. That means it needs to be fixed.”

“I told you, I’m gonna put it all back when I’m done! I just wanna make it easier to connect comms to it first.”

Jet sighs. “You just said that it was not broken and now you want to fix it?”

Rita yells back, despite the fact that he’s only two meters away from her. “I’m making it BETTER!”

“Rita… You just want to use the big screen to stream your shows, is that it?” Juno is trying to hold back his laugh but he does end up grinning through his question.

“Yeah! And also it would make showing plans n’ stuff like Mista Glass did earlier easier too. It was kind of annoying to look at his comms screen the whole time, even though it was blown up like that. There!” Rita hits one last key decisively and sits back to watch her work come to fruition.

The TV makes a high pitched beep that cuts off short as the entire screen goes black. “Rita. I am no longer a fan.” Jet is deadpan so Juno has no idea how serious he is. Probably not very, based on what little Juno knows about his sense of humor, but Rita just ignores him.

“Wait for it…” The screen boots back up and starts playing some sort of show about the weather on Venus. “Have a little faith why dontcha, Mista Sikuliaq!” She laughs at Jet’s flabbergasted expression.

“I do not understand. You haven’t touched the wires you pulled out and it’s already fixed?”

“Oh, you can just cram those back behind the screen. I didn’t disconnect any of them, just rearranged them a little is all.”

This time Juno does laugh a little. “She’s just like that. I wouldn’t worry about it; she knows what she’s doing. There’s a method to Rita’s madness.”

“Damn right!” Rita straightens up a little at Juno’s praise and sends a warm smile his way. “Mista Steel and you and everyone else can always count on me!”

Jet gingerly hides the wires behind the screen like Rita said and gets off the floor. “You are right. I am sorry I ever doubted you Miss Rita.”

“That’s alright! Hey, wanna test it out? What’s your favorite movie? I haven’t seen anything with space werewolves in a _long_ time, you wanna watch one of those?” Rita is already pulling up her stream database and projecting the opening credits to a movie on the TV.

“I would love to.” Jet retakes his seat on the couch. “Oh, before I forget, Juno, I have your cover from Rex. Here.” Jet pulls put is comms and types out a quick message. Juno’s own unit beeps in his ear, notifying him that he’s received the message.

“He didn’t want to give it to me himself, huh?” Juno mutters under his breath. He tries not to let himself dwell on that thought for too long. He clears his throat, and then speaks louder so that the others can hear him. “Thanks. I’ll start looking it over now.”

Jet and Rita settle in for their stream, and Juno hastily leaves the room. Just like this morning, the casually comfortable atmosphere that seems to have settled in the living room is too much for him to deal with except in small doses. He’s not at the point yet where he feels like he can truly be a part of it. It’s just so overwhelming, though he’s glad that Rita is happy here.

Juno needs space. Well, not _outer space_ , but he refuses to go be a recluse in his bedroom. He’s not an angst-ridden teenager. What was it Jet had said earlier, about a navigation room? He hasn’t been there yet. Might as well check it out.

He makes his way to the cargo bay. The Ruby 7 and Jet’s motorbike are parked on the floor below the catwalk that Juno is currently on. There’s a steep metal staircase at the back that leads up in a spiral through a hole in the ceiling. Above it, Juno can just barely make out stars beyond a window in the room’s roof. He climbs the staircase. The metal railing is cold in his hands, and the bare-bones structure of the staircase makes it a somewhat precarious trip.

When he reaches the top, he has to stop and gawk at the roof. It’s a dome made entirely of glass, or some other clear material that keeps him from being sucked into the vacuum of space. It’s not like the small one in the bridge, which is crisscrossed by structural beams and blinking lights. It’s roughly the same size room, but the dome extends all the way down around him. If he looks directly ahead, he can see the top of the ship and the glass of the cockpit.

The floor is soft carpet, and there’s a pile of cushions and blankets in the center of the room. Jet did mention something about this being his favorite part of the ship. He and Buddy and Vespa must come up here from time to time to hang out and look at the stars. It must be quite a sight if the ship is near a planet like Saturn or Neptune. It’s a really nice observatory.

The only other thing in the room is a desk sized console beside the door. The screen is displaying what looks to be a constellation map that moves every few seconds or so. This has to be the ship’s navigation system. It’s so small for such a big job, but in this room looking up at the stars Juno feels just as small in the face of all that vastness. It’s breathtaking. Juno drops into the pile of pillows and just stares up. 

Mars doesn’t really have an atmosphere to speak of, but the dome around Hyperion City projects some semblance of an Earth-based day/night cycle. It has to, because Mars’ cycle isn’t really compatible with a human sleep schedule. At night, it projects the planet’s celestial sphere of stars onto the inside of the dome to simulate a starry night. No one ever really pays much attention to it because it’s just another part of life on Mars. It’s hard to pay attention to the sky above with everything that goes on in the city.

But up here by himself, Juno can marvel at the view. In the past year, he’s caught himself looking up a whole lot more than he ever did before, wondering what’s out here. Humans have done a really good job of colonizing space, at least in this galaxy, but there’s even more that hasn’t been explored yet. Juno wants to know more. See the sights, experience wonders, discover new things. Is this how Nureyev has felt all his life? Juno is beginning to understand his incessant need to always keep moving now. All of his daydreams about settling down with him on Mars seem like faraway falsehoods. To have been out here and willingly stay on that rusty planet seems crazy to Juno, and he’s only been gone for a day.

Thinking of Nureyev leaves a sour taste in his mouth. Would Juno have felt like this if they’d left together that morning? If Juno hadn’t walked out on them, they would have been up here amongst the stars for almost a year already. He wants to think that they could have been happy, but the trouble with nipping something in the bud before it even has a chance to bloom is that he’ll never really know. Maybe in some other reality, Juno fell asleep in Nureyev’s arms and kept doing that every night since. He hopes that version of Juno is doing okay.

Eventually, Juno builds up enough motivation to look at his cover story. He pulls up the files Jet sent him on his comms and projects them above his head. He doesn’t bother sitting up. Atreus Caelum is his name. He’s the moderately wealthy heir of a family that struck it rich mining Hydrogen from brown dwarf stars from the furthermost edge of the outer rim. Caelum is a decently well-known name, but apparently the family is too busy and too far away to ever attend events so close to the galactic core. It would be seven weeks travel both ways. Of course, the dossier lists all of the family members’ names and interests and the like. He’ll have to spend time memorizing that as well as his own story.

Apparently, Atreus is seventh in line for the inheritance and likes to buy art from the black market. That must be where Nureyev knows him from, then. He’s also a well-known partygoer at clubs in the system. That might cause problems if people recognize the name, but the likelihood of a back-alley clubber from the outer rim appearing at the Ganymede Gala is quite low.

The notes Nureyev has left on the profile tell Juno that he won’t have to act very different from normal in order to become Atreus. Since no one at the gala or the event on Vali should ever have met him in the first place, all Juno has to do is know the ins and outs of the family business, and gossip a little about outer rim drama. He’s had enough experiences as Cecil’s bodyguard to know how to do that. It won’t be too hard.

The biggest problem is that the Kanagawas are likely to be there. Juno knows they still have it out for him, although Cecil is just as likely to hug him as he is to shoot him. Cassandra has been off Mars for a while so Juno has no idea if she’ll be there, but at least Min will stay home. She loves the press, but she doesn’t want to be involved.

Juno’s biggest problem is that the file on Atreus Caelum also includes photos of his fashion choices, and Juno definitely does not own anything of the sort. It’s all elegant and sleek design. It reminds him a lot of what Nureyev wore when they first met, actually. Rex Glass certainly knows how to dress to impress. He doesn’t want to, but Juno knows he’s probably going to have to ask him for help with his wardrobe. They’re not the same size so he won’t be able to fit anything in Nureyev’s closet, but they’ll have time to go shopping when they get to Ganymede.

Jet’s cover is as Atreus’ bodyguard: Ares. There’s no last name attached. The notes are that Ares is there on official business to watch over Atreus but also on unofficial business as his partner. Playing the subtle and poorly hidden romance card will help deflect any suspicion that might fall on them in public, but Juno isn’t so sure that he and Jet have the chemistry to pull it off.

They’ll figure out the specifics when they get to the planet. For now, Juno pulls up the list of family information again and gets to work on his memorization. He might as well get it done now. It’s something for him to focus on that isn’t going to drive him crazy. Juno needs a distraction, and learning too much information about people he doesn’t know is one of his specialties. He settles in and gets to work.

And that’s how the next day and a half goes for Juno. He splits his time between studying up on his cover and hanging out with the rest of the crew. Rita is still giving him looks that suggest they have a long overdue conversation coming up. Juno has no idea what it’s about, but she hasn’t brought it up yet and he sure as hell won’t.

He’s also concluded that Nureyev is definitely avoiding him. The ship they’re on is big, but not big enough that he would be able to move throughout it without having bumped into him at least once or twice. That, and they share a personal bathroom, and Nureyev’s room is only a couple meters from Juno’s. He’s only seen Nureyev at planning sessions or mealtimes.

Rex Glass certainly hasn’t changed at all. He still floats about whatever room he’s in like he’s only _choosing_ to obey the laws of gravity and bats his eyelashes at Juno whenever his clever wordplay allows. Juno’s on edge, and Nureyev is keeping him there at knifepoint. Nevertheless, Juno embraces his exasperation and channels it into begrudgingly returning his flirtations.

Jet and Juno have taken to quizzing each other about the Caelum family over dinner, and Jet is in the middle of his next question when Buddy’s voice rings over the intercom in the kitchen. “Alright, folks, we will be approaching Jupiter in the next hour or so! Make your way up to the bridge and get strapped in before we get there; gravity is a little weird around its moons because the planet is massive, so landing on Ganymede is gonna be a lot bumpier than leaving Mars was!”

Rita is the only other person in the kitchen with them, and she squeals at the announcement. “Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!” She grabs the rest of the sandwich she was eating and tosses out the napkin she was using as she takes off in the direction of the bridge.

Juno puts is own sandwich down. His stomach has tied itself in knots at the prospect of more turbulence and his appetite has disappeared. “I think we’ve got it down now, big guy, don’t you?”

“Yes, I am confident in our ability to maintain our cover on the planet,” Jet replies. “I need to go help guide us through Jupiter’s orbit. Excuse me.” He gets up and follows Rita out of the room.

Juno tries and fails to finish eating, so he cleans up the kitchen and brings his sandwich with him. Nureyev catches up with him on his way to the bridge. “Exciting, isn’t it? I don’t believe I’ve been to Ganymede before.” He slings an arm around Juno’s shoulders in typical Rex Glass fashion. “It’ll be quite the adventure!”

“Yeah,” Juno says, using all his willpower to keep himself from slipping out of Nureyev’s grasp. “I’m sure it will be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a note: I've spend a good bit of time studying astronomy, and I hope you enjoy my subtle dumping of space facts as the fic progresses.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fact that I managed to push this out the week of a big convention I'm attending is astounding. Hurray for an early finish to concrunch! Anyways, this chapter is long and expository but also super emotional, so I hope y'all love supportive best friend Rita content!
> 
> Please note that I've updated previous chapters for more cohesion and better grammar. This work is unbetaed, and I do my best to allow time for editing but sometimes things just slip by. Thank you for bearing with me!
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> Jupiter- Gustav Holst  
> Genghis Khan- Miike Snow  
> Take What You Got- Kinky Boots Original Cast

Needless to say, landing on Ganymede is rough. The pull from Jupiter’s gravity counteracts the start of the landing procedure around the moon, so they had to break atmosphere at a high velocity before engaging the landing protocol. It made for a bumpy and disorienting ride, and Juno is thankful that Rita swapped seats with him this time. He has a white-knuckled grip on the armrests the whole time and doesn’t open his eye until it’s over.

The first few minutes are tense, but then Buddy and Vespa start laughing and whooping like they’re enjoying themselves. Juno can see how it might be fun, if you’re the kind of person who likes seeing fire from an atmo-burn cover the windows while the ship you’re on shakes like a bucking bull several hundred times the size it’s supposed to be.

When the ship touches down and stops shaking, Juno finally opens his eye. Rita is also a little shaken up this time around, but Jet and Nureyev are completely unfazed. This is just another day in the life for them. At least the copilots had fun. Buddy turns around in her seat. “You alright back there? We’ve got a bag for you this time.”

Juno holds up a finger as he puts his head between his legs and tries to calm his breathing. His stomach is roiling, but he should be able to hold it down this time. “I’m… I’m good, just give me a minute.” Everyone else unbuckles and gets up while Juno gets himself under control. It takes a good ten minutes, but then he’s good to go.

“Hey Buddy? How come none of the stuff in the ship falls over when we do that?” Rita asks, peaking back into the cockpit from the hallway that connects it to the common area.

“Oh! We forgot to say? The engine has inertial dampeners that take care of the rest of the ship. It’d be great if they worked for people too, but unfortunately the opposing tidal forces of gravity or something like that will tear a person’s skeletal structure to shreds.” Rita and Juno both gulp. That doesn’t sound pleasant. Buddy catches on that she’s kind of scared the both of them. “Don’t worry: they can’t engage if there are life signs outside the bridge, so we’re all safe. We get to enjoy the roller coaster ride!”

Her answer seems to satisfy Rita, who makes an excited chirping noise that Juno translates as ‘I’m going to figure out how this works and make it better later’ and skips off back to the common area. Juno finally gets himself unstrapped, and steps up to the front console to take a look out the window.

They’ve landed in some sort of port reminiscent of old-Earth airports. It has multiple tiers, and they’re on the second one from the top. The height is dizzying, but after the ordeal Juno has been through with taking off and landing, it doesn’t terrify him as much as it would have a week ago. Looking out past the structure, he can see a city of tall spires and sleek, gunmetal buildings.

Light from the city reflects off of the landscape of Ganymede’s surface. Its icy crystalline ground glitters with the light from the both the city and the stars above. Apparently, Ganymede is on the opposite side of Jupiter from the Sun for the next week because its orbital period is so large. Whatever that means. Juno had to learn a bit about how the moon works for this plan to work, and even though he knows the terminology he doesn’t completely understand it.

Regardless, that means Ganymede has three and a half days of night time. Juno can’t say he doesn’t mind that. The planet looks like it’s made of shimmering gemstones, which is gorgeous right now but must be absolutely blinding in direct sunlight. The gala is in the middle of this night cycle, which was probably coordinated to be that way.

The sky above is dominated by Jupiter’s large size. Sure, Juno has seen photos of the planet before, but human brains have a really hard time conceptualizing something so big without seeing it in person. He’s lived on a tiny planet his whole life, and staring up at the swirling clouds of Jupiter’s atmosphere is mesmerizing. It’s no wonder humans only colonized its moons; nothing in the known universe could command the winds and storms of the planet to make way for life.

Juno is the only one on the bridge, or so he thought. A gentle hand comes to rest on his shoulder and he jumps a little. Nureyev must have snuck up behind him when he was staring out at Ganymede. “Juno? Are you alright?” Juno recognizes that silky tone as Rex’s.

“Yeah, I’m good. It’s just… this is incredible.” Juno gestures out to the landscape before them. Nureyev smiles and removes his hand from Juno’s shoulder. The loss of that small physical contact is as cold as Ganymede’s icy surface. 

Nureyev moves past him to gaze up at Jupiter too. “It really is beautiful. I can’t believe I waited this long to see it,” he says. Earlier today, he’d mentioned that he’d never been here before, but Juno had assumed he’d just meant Ganymede.

“Wait, you haven’t seen Jupiter before either?”

“No, not this close at least. Of course, I’ve passed by many times, but I’ve never actually had any business in the area. I like sightseeing, but I’ve never stopped anywhere I didn’t have a job.” He doesn’t take his eyes off the sky. Even now, he’s not here purely for the sake of wondering at view. Nureyev always has a heist planned, and this time is no different. Even if he’s not stealing anything here, he’s helping his crew set up for the bigger job.

Nureyev has certainly talked Juno’s ear off about experiencing everything the galaxy has to offer, but has he also been missing out on things? If he only every goes where he has something to do, then there was a certain bit of hypocrisy in his speech about never staying put. Even a master thief and revolutionary should have time to himself, and if Nureyev has that kind of mindset when it comes to his work then he has no right to criticize Juno’s dedication to his own.

Juno files this away for the next time they talk about what happened between them. Whatever that conversation looks like, Nureyev won’t be able to disparage Juno’s dedication to his home. Well, his former home now.

They stand in silence for a while, admiring the view. This is the first time Nureyev has actively sought time alone with Juno since that first night, and he doesn’t want to ruin it by saying something he isn’t supposed to. Eventually, though, he figures that Nureyev is waiting for him to speak next.

“So, uh. Atreus. I don’t actually have anything he would wear to the gala. I don’t… I mean I have money, but I don’t know what I need to get. It’s in four days so I have time to get something nice, but. What I’m saying is: can you help me pick something to wear?” Juno fumbles through his words. It’s horribly awkward, but Nureyev doesn’t seem to care. He’s standing in front of Juno and looking out the window so Juno can’t even see his face.

Nureyev shifts but doesn’t look back. “That can be arranged. The rest of us are here as your unnamed entourage, after all, so I suppose I can pose as your chauffeur. There must be a nice shopping district somewhere in this city.” Juno lets out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He’s so relieved that Nureyev isn’t turning him away, even if it _is_ just prep for the job. “I am quite fond of dressing you up nicely.” Nureyev turns his head to look at Juno and Rex Glass’s grin is plastered on his face. 

Juno blushes and chooses to ignore the last line as he stutters out his response. “Th- thanks. We’ll go after the hotel check-in then? Or tomorrow morning. Whatever works for you.” If he was hoping to be less awkward then it really wasn’t working as well as he’d hoped it would. He said ‘whatever works for you’ as if they’re not on the exact same timetable and sharing a hotel suite.

“Well, considering it’s almost midnight on Ganymede, how about we check in tonight and go tomorrow?” It’s still Rex smiling at Juno, but he can hear the unmistakable tinge of nerves in Nureyev’s voice. Jeez, they sound like they’re planning a date or something. That thought catches Juno off-guard. In some ways it _is_ a date, or it could have been if they were different people. It’s still time alone together. They’re probably both nervous about it.

“Yeah, of course,” Juno says. He stops himself from saying anything more in an effort to save face. He’s embarrassed himself enough for one evening. Juno leaves Nureyev in the cockpit and hurries back to his room. He doesn’t have a lot he needs to bring, but the crew is moving into hotel for the next five days and then everyone will have even less privacy than they do on the ship. Juno plans to take advantage of that while he can.

When Buddy and Vespa have finished registering the ship’s parking, everyone meets in the cargo bay. The structure they’re in is on the edge of the city, and the hotel they’ve booked is a couple blocks away from the tower where the gala is hosted in the center of town. Jet tosses Rita a helmet for his bike, and they take off first. The room is under the name of Jet’s alias, and Rita has to set the room up before the others get there. Buddy was really insistent about triple-checking everywhere they go for bugs.

That leaves the rest of them to pile into the Ruby 7. Buddy and Vespa have already slipped into the backseat together, which means Juno has to sit up front while Nureyev drives. Nureyev’s driving is almost as terrifying as he remembers. Juno thinks the edge may have been tempered a bit by the whole space-travel thing.

The ride to the hotel isn’t as painfully nostalgic as Juno thought it might be. Buddy and Vespa are happily pointing out famous landmarks of the city—whose name is apparently Koronis— and Nureyev’s cheerful laughter. It’s a lot like Hyperion City, if the salary of your average worker was several hundred thousand more creds. Everything is sleek and new, and it seems like the city planners really wanted everything to be the same aesthetic as the moon’s surface because all the buildings have a similar crystal quality to them. 

It takes almost an hour, but finally they arrive at the hotel. Jet meets them at the door. “Atreus. Our—the room is ready.” He’s already turned himself into Ares, which means it’s time for Juno to become his counterpart. 

Juno looks at Nureyev. He did say that the rest of the crew is his entourage. A mischievous idea sparks to life inside Juno’s head. “Well, chauffeur? Aren’t you going to open the door?” Vespa stifles her laugh and Buddy makes no effort to stifle hers.

Nureyev doesn’t stop smiling, but his eye twitches a little. Looks like Juno struck a nerve. “Of course.” He gets out and slams the door. Nureyev comes around and opens Juno’s door for him, and bows deeply. “Milady.” Everything about him screams polite servant but Juno can see how annoyed he is. All a bit of fun, no more than they’ve joked about before.

“Thank you.” He steps out and confidently strides over to Jet. “Ares. I trust you’ve procured a large enough space for all of us?”

“Yes, milady,” he says, taking Juno’s arm. Oh, so the milady thing is sticking around for the mission. This must be what all the respectable upper-class ladies love so much about having a personal staff. Juno could get used to it, if he knew it wasn’t just a cover and that Rita would probably turn it into a new nickname.

The hotel lobby is as extravagant as the rest of Koronis. Large crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling and the floor seems to be made of some translucent glowing blue glass. None of the receptionists look up from their stations as they pass by and the other guests milling around are studiously avoiding them. It would be off-putting if the plan hadn’t been for Ares to ask for absolute privacy on behalf of his benefactor. It looks like he terrified them.

They get an elevator to themselves. It’s made of glass and overlooks the lobby. They have to use their room key to get it work, for security reasons, although they also happen to have an entire floor to themselves. Apparently, the Caelum party had been upgraded to the penthouse suite care of the hotel owner, and the glass elevator rises so high that Juno can’t see the lobby floor when he looks down. It’s dizzying. He has to steady himself with Rita’s shoulder and close his eye until they step out on the top floor.

The penthouse suite is magnificent. Floor to ceiling windows surround the entirety of the living space and all the furniture looks like it’s brand new. There are four bedrooms, five bathrooms, two living rooms, and a kitchen. Rita is bouncing from room to room when they arrive.

“Oh! Mista Steel! This is the COOLEST! Come look, you gotta see!” She bounds over and takes his hand, dragging him to one of the living rooms. A TV screen that takes up literally an entire wall is displaying some background of a forest, and it seems to be moving ambiently. “I muted the sounds but it’s so neat! I wish we had one of these back at the office.”

“Rita, we don’t have an office anymore,” Juno says. He doesn’t want to have to remind her about that, but she just nods and shakes it off.

Juno has been trying valiantly not to look out the window from this high up, but when he turns to explore the rest of the suite, he can’t help but look out. They’re high enough up that the cars on the ground are just little blips of light passing by. Two other buildings reach as tall as this one; one is farther in the distance and the other is nearby. Presumably, that one will be where the gala is held.

“Hey big guy, how did you manage to swing the penthouse suite?” Juno asks Jet as he joins him at the window. Juno’s only a little nauseous as he peers into the horizon, which is a big step up from where he’s been.

“I have connections here. The owners of this establishment owe me many large favors for a job I worked here several years ago.”

“Let me guess. They were part of the Iris of Jupiter theft?”

Jet looks at Juno with a peculiar expression. It takes him a second to realize that Jet is surprised. He didn’t think anything could surprise Jet Sikuliaq but here they are. “How do you know about that?”

“Sorry, I know you’re a private guy. Glass mentioned it once, when we… when we worked together before.” _When we were together before._ Juno couldn’t even articulate that much out loud. For the millionth time in the past three days, Juno suppresses the thought before it can take up more space in his mind.

He doesn’t respond for a moment, only giving Juno a small “hmm” and turning back to the window. Juno takes it as his queue to leave, but on the way out of the room Jet says, “Be careful with him. I do not know what happened between you, but he is more dangerous than you believe him to be.”

A chill runs down Juno’s spine. He knows Nureyev is dangerous. He knows better than probably anyone else ever will. But to hear Jet say it so plainly tugs at some primal instinct inside him. If Nureyev is able to scare even Jet, then Juno betrayed the most dangerous man in the galaxy. Unspoken in Jet’s warning is the notion that there will be consequences for Juno’s actions.

Juno doesn’t respond. No witty remark comes to his tongue. Jet is right. Nureyev _is_ dangerous, and Juno poked the bear. That doesn’t change how he still feels about him, though. Even if Nureyev is unsafe to be around, Juno is going to take as much as he can get. Despite everything, he still trusts him.

He leaves Jet in the room with Rita, who is studiously hacking into the massive screen the same way she did on the ship. Juno grabs a small snack in the kitchen and heads to bed. It’s been a long evening, and he has a somewhat early start with Nureyev in the morning.

Buddy and Vespa have claimed the biggest room for themselves, of course. Jet and Rita each get their own, which leaves Juno and Nureyev sharing the last one. He’s in the bathroom when Juno arrives. The shower is on, at least, so Juno assumes he’s in there. They have a corner room, for some reason, so two full walls are actually just windows. He can’t even see anything but stars out of them, but they still make Juno nervous anyway. There’s only one bed in the room, but it’s basically a quadruple king with room for ten. Juno picks the side of the bed furthest from the view and consequently also closest to the bathroom.

Nureyev is humming. It’s faint, and Juno can barely hear it through the door and over the roar of the shower, but he’s humming. It’s not a song that Juno’s heard before, but it still sounds familiar somehow. Maybe he heard it when he was inside Nureyev’s head. Juno would give anything to be inside his head now, if only his surface thoughts. He doesn’t trust his ability to read people anymore, not after all the mistakes he’s made with Ramses.

Juno is under the covers with his eye closed when Nureyev steps out of the bathroom. He doesn’t want to know what Nureyev is or isn’t wearing when he’s standing this close and especially not since they have to share a bed for the next several days. Hopefully, pretending to sleep will help him actually fall asleep faster. Nureyev pauses for a moment, but doesn’t say anything.

He rummages around the room for a couple minutes before the lights go out and the hint of light underneath Juno’s eyelid goes away. Nureyev isn’t in bed yet, and Juno is trying his hardest to appear relaxed even though his body is completely tense.

“Juno?” Nureyev calls softly from somewhere on the other side of the room. He must be looking out the window. The sound of his name on Nureyev’s silky voice sends Juno’s heart racing. It hurts every time Nureyev says his name with that much feeling, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

_As long as I can have this, I don’t care how much it hurts._

Juno must have done a convincing job acting like he’s asleep, because Nureyev doesn’t say anything else. He sighs deeply, and doesn’t get in bed. Juno won’t ask him why. He doesn’t want Nureyev to know he’s awake. He can’t risk having a conversation with him right now, especially when he turns over Jet’s warning in his head. Juno knows he’ll spill everything that’s on his mind and neither of them are ready for that right now.

So Juno keeps his eye closed and tries very hard to fall asleep, and eventually Nureyev does get in bed too. Juno is thankful that he’s washed off his cologne with that shower. He wouldn’t be able to hold himself back from rolling over and scooting closer in his sleep if his brain thought that Nureyev was actually with him. His last thought before drifting off, however, was of how nice it would be to wake up to that smell instead.

* * *

_He’s running again. This time Juno knows that he’s chasing his friends. Where did they go? Why did they leave him? He doesn’t have any answers, but if he catches up to them, he’ll be able to find out._

_The nice lady is still with him, thought. “Don’t worry, Juno Steel. You don’t have to worry about your friends anymore.”_

_“I don’t?” He asks, confused. His friends are so important to him. He can’t pinpoint any information about them in his memory, but just trying to think about them brings out a whole wealth of emotions: happiness, comfort, worry, desire, possessive, love, companionship. Not being with them makes him feel the absence of those, and it feels awful._

_The voice is silent, but she helps him run. He isn’t even thinking about it and he’s moving so quickly through the tunnel. He doesn’t get an answer out of her, and it takes him a while to realize he hadn’t even spoken the words aloud. He’d only thought them._

_It’s more difficult than it should be to move his mouth, but Juno forces words to come out anyway. “Where… are… my friends?” It’s more aggressive than he wanted to sound, especially since the disembodied voice has been so nice to him._

_“They are gone. They left you behind, and you weren’t able to catch up. We are still running to find them,” she responds. Juno is overwhelmed by a grief he didn’t know he was capable of feeling. He tries to yell and scream, but again his mouth decides not to respond to his command. He lets the voice take over control again, and then he lets go._

* * *

Juno wakes up the way he always does after this particular nightmare: with his body shivering and heart racing. The bed he’s in isn’t the one he got used to on the ship. He can hear someone breathing lightly behind him, and that’s when he remembers where he is. The hotel room he’s sharing with Nureyev. It sounds like he’s still asleep.

Juno spent the night lying almost completely straight on one side of the bed facing the wall away from the windows. He shifts slowly so he doesn’t disturb the other man in the bed and turns to look at him. The sheets between them are rumpled, and Nureyev is still fast asleep, in the middle of the bed. He must have sprawled out from his side of the bed at some point in the night. 

No sunlight has peeked through the windows behind Nureyev, and it won’t anytime soon. It’s still dark, and it’s extremely disconcerting for a human body that’s used to a regular day/night cycle. He’s cast in shadow, but Juno can still make out his features. He looks… well, not peaceful, but something like that. Nureyev has always had an air of being on edge at all times, and it’s no different when he’s unconscious. Juno holds his breath, afraid to wake him up.

It feels like Nureyev could open his eyes at any moment and be ready to face whatever awoke him. A thief that travels as much as he does certainly would have that reflex. Juno could either get a warm greeting or a knife in the stomach, depending on how fast Nureyev recognized him as not being a threat. If he would even make the distinction between a threat and Juno anymore. Despite worrying over whether or not he would stab Juno, Nureyev’s sleeping presence works wonders for his panic attack. His heart is still pounding, though.

Nureyev still snores lightly in his sleep. Juno remembers watching him sleep for hours the last time they were in bed together. Granted, they are much farther apart this time both literally and figuratively, but Juno treasures this spell while it lasts. Would they still have ended up here, together, if Juno hadn’t walked out on him that night almost a year ago? He imagines that they would have woken up quite differently, wrapped in each other’s arms. With any luck, Juno wouldn’t have been afraid to wake him up, and watching Nureyev sleep wouldn’t hit Juno with a spike of longing and guilt.

He lets himself watch Nureyev for only a couple minutes before dragging his eye away. It feels like Juno is stealing every second, and he can’t bear to take anything more than a few stolen moments from Nureyev. He gets out of the bed, as slowly and quietly as he can manage, and throws on the nicest clothes he packed. It’s just a button down and tight-fitting dress slacks, but he has to at least make some effort before he and Nureyev get him something more suitable today. He pads out of the room and into the hallway, and the door closes silently behind him.

There’s noise coming from the kitchen, so Juno heads in that direction. He finds the ladies of the crew huddled around a fat cylinder that’s making low beeping noises. Rita looks just about ready to take it apart. None of them look up as he enters the room. “Well, good morning to you too,” Juno says. This machine might be the only one he knows how to work better than Rita, no matter what make or model it is. After all, he’s _very_ good friends with coffee. “Here, let me.”

Buddy and Vespa step to the side and gesture him forward, and Rita hands it to him. Juno twists the cylinder a few times until the top opens up. “There. Put the beans in, twist the top part twice to the left and the bottom part three times the right, then push down on the top. That’ll give us the strongest brew.” Rita does as she’s told, and soon all four of them have a steaming cup of coffee in their hands.

Buddy and Vespa seem dead on their feet until they’ve had a couple sips, but Rita is full of energy after just one. Her caffeine tolerance is so low for someone who drinks so much coffee. “So, what’s the plan today boss? We got a couple of days before the gala, and I sure ain’t spending all my time in here!”

Juno cradles his cup to his chest, letting the heat soak in a little. “Well, Glass is going to find me something decent to wear to the prom, and then I think I’ve gotta learn to dance.”

Rita pouts. “Come on, be serious! You’ve got plenty of nice clothes Mista Steel, and you know how to dance.” Buddy gives him an inquisitive look.

Juno snorts into his coffee. “Yeah, if you count going to clubs with Kanagawas as dancing. I don’t think I’ll be using any of those moves at a damn gala.” And then it’s Vespa’s turn to snort. “What?” Juno asks, “It’s not _actually_ going to be that kind of party, right?”

“Of course not,” Buddy responds, “But picturing you at a club with Cecil Kanagawa is worth a good laugh, don’t you think?”

At that, Juno does chuckle a little. It’s not something he’d done in very long time, but that’s for a very good reason. Cecil is a menace. He only ever went to spend a little time with Cassandra, and even then it was only for a couple drinks before heading home. He never did much dancing. He just watched a lot of other people do it from his seat at the bar.

Dancing was never really his thing. It always reminded him of Ben, and he’s always tried to push away anything that reminded him of his brother. Not anymore. Dancing would definitely make him face that more head on than he’d expected to so soon, but he had to go through with it. If not for the job, then for himself, and for Benzaiten. Juno like to think Ben would have been happy to see him dance.

“I can help you learn, Juno. Jet is pretty good too, and Rex could sweep anyone off their feet,” Vespa says.

“Thanks, I’ll take you up on that offer,” Juno replies. He finally takes a sip of his drink, and it’s strong. Stronger than anything on the ship at least, all though some Martian brews could still give it a run for its money. “Jeez, Buddy, what is this? This coffee has, like, a hundred times more caffeine than the stuff on the ship.”

Buddy laughs. “I certainly hope so! All the stuff we have on the ship is decaffeinated since Jet made the last supply run. He doesn’t go near the stuff.” Oh. That makes sense. Juno’s just going to have to enjoy the stronger stuff while they’re here. Then another thought occurs to him.

“Wait. I thought you didn’t eat. How are you drinking coffee right now?” Juno asks.

“Well I have to eat something, don’t I? Besides, I make a small exception for coffee. Everyone had their vices.”

This is news to Rita. “You don’t EAT? I can’t imagine losing food, I would miss it too much!”

“You get used to it, hun. Don’t worry about it.”

While Buddy gets busy explaining radiation poisoning to Rita, Jet walks into the kitchen. He’s already dressed for the day, and he nods a greeting at Juno. “Good morning. Vespa, are you ready for today?”

“Yeah, yeah, give me like twenty minutes to eat and change, then I’ll be good to go.” Vespa grabs something out of the fridge and wolfs it down on her way out of the room.

Jet turns to Juno. “You are getting attire for the gala today. I should inform you that I will be wearing green.” That shouldn’t surprise him as much as it does. Green car, green bike, it has to be his favorite color or something. It’s a wonder he hasn’t dyed his hair green like Vespa.

“Is it going to be… lime green?” Juno’s not above getting something that matches in that color, but he’d really prefer something that would stand out nearly as much. 

Jet scoffs. “No. It is my favorite suit, and it’s color is a deep jade,” he says as he grabs something out of the fridge too. He bids them farewell, and leaves the kitchen as well. Buddy is gone too when Juno turns around again, which leaves him alone with Rita.

“You sure seem to be having a lot of fun. You don’t regret leaving Hyperion City yet?” Juno asks, and tries to his find his own breakfast as well. The thing in the fridge that Jet and Vespa grabbed was a chilled yogurt of some kind that he decides to try. It’s not half bad.

Rita pours herself another cup of coffee and says, “Nope! I’m learnin’ so many new things, and Mista Jet and I watched a whole lot of streams together on the ship! We gotta do a movie night with everyone with the big screen in the living room!” She gets a little sad, then. “Plus, it don’t really feel like we left the same city, ya know? Like it wasn’t home anymore or something.”

Juno knows exactly what she means. He misses the idea of Hyperion City, but not the one they left behind. He’s still glad that Rita doesn’t regret coming with him. “Yeah. Home is here now.” Rita takes this as her cue to put down her cup and crush Juno’s ribs with a hug. “Ow, alright.” He hugs her back.

“Mista Steel? There’s something I been meaning to talk to you about…” Oh, so she’s finally bringing it up then. He’s been curious about whatever it is she’s had on her mind the last few days. Juno gives her a pat on the back and slips out of the hug to take a seat on one of the stools at the counter.

“I knew something was coming. What’s up Rita?” He hopes he’s ready for this. He’s been doing better, and he had asked Rita to let him know when he’s going off track, but he doesn’t think he’s done that yet.

Rita sits down next to him and takes a deep breath. Then she starts. “Okay, first of all, I’m not bringing this up to make you feel guilty again, but it’s relevant. Second of all, you gotta promise to tell me the truth because I’m not gonna stand around and watch you get hurt again, got it?”

Juno nods, and she continues. “You’ve left me a lot of cryptic voicemails before leaving without a trace in the last year or so. And that started a little after you started moping around more than usual. And that started with the Grimm’s Mask case. With Mista Glass.” A Mars-sized stone lands in Juno’s stomach. Nothing could have prepared him for a confrontation about Nureyev from _Rita_.

“I’m not saying he’s bad for you or anything like that. He’s a whole lot nicer than anyone else you ever been with since I’ve known you, but when you came back the first time you disappeared, missing an eye and all that, it was a hell of a lot like the way you acted after you tried to arrest him, except it was worse kinda. A lot worse. And you told me what happened the time after that, and I know you ain’t gonna try to do something like that to me again.”

“Where are you going with this, Rita?” Juno interrupts. He’s practically vibrating in his seat. Maybe Jet has the right idea about caffeine; it certainly isn’t helping him any at the moment. 

Rita pauses. She starts and stops a couple times, carefully picking her words for whatever she’s about to say next. “What I’m trying to get at is that I know how you feel about him. I saw it in how you were when he left, and I can see it now when he’s here. I just wanna know why you look at him with that much guilt too. Nobody knows you better than I do, boss, and I can tell something’s eating you up inside.”

She’s shaking a little, too. In the months since Newtown, Juno has gotten a whole lot better about communicating with her, but he still hasn’t been able to talk about Nureyev. He was going to get around to it eventually, but now he’ll have to do it sooner rather than later. He won’t be able to tell her everything, but she deserves to know about his history with Rex Glass. Maybe even Duke Rose.

Juno sighs, and pulls her into another hug. She squeaks, letting the nervous energy seep out of her and into Juno’s arms. “Rita, let me tell you about how I lost my eye.”

So they sit at the kitchen counter, coffee and breakfast long gone, and Juno tells her everything. He leaves out anything that could connect Nureyev to his real name and past, but he doesn’t omit much else. Rita recognizes the Ruby 7 from the ship, and Juno actually shares in her excitement a bit. She doesn’t enjoy any of what comes after that. She tears up when Juno gets to the torture, so he tries to keep that part as brief and clinical as he possibly can.

“And after all that, he asked me to leave with him. Either we run off together to explore the galaxy, or he runs off alone and I never have to hear from him again. Either way he leaves. That was the deal, as if I’d want to cut ties with him forever. You found me hungover in the office the next morning.” The guilt Rita so keenly noticed before must be showing again. He certainly feels it.

Rita is still crying a little, and Juno has to hold himself back at this point too. “You told him you were gonna stay,” she says quietly. Juno wishes so desperately that were true.

Juno frowns, and shakes his head. He has to stop for a couple minutes, so choked up that he can’t even get the words out. He’s thought about this night billions of times, but he’s never actually put it to words before. Now he tries. “No. I told him I would leave with him.” Rita gasps, but otherwise doesn’t interrupt. “I really believed it, too, right up until the moment he fell asleep and I realized that I… that I was drowning. I thought I’d been in love before, but nothing can even begin to compare to him. I got scared. I panicked. And I made the dumbest mistake of my life, walking out on him like that, but damn it I still love him. And now he’s here, right when I started to get better, and—”

And then Juno can’t hold it in any longer. He cries silently on Rita’s shoulder for a good long while. It’s a wonder no one has walked in on them yet, but Vespa and Jet left the hotel and Buddy probably went back to bed. Juno’s just glad Nureyev isn’t here to see him break down like this. He doesn’t think he could take adding this to Nureyev’s arsenal of things he can use to keep breaking Juno’s heart.

Rita just holds on and hums while Juno lets it out of his system. She’s gotten her answers, he supposes, so now she’s just helping him calm down again. “I don’t know what I have with him anymore, Rita. He wants us to act like nothing’s happened since the case with the mask. I’m trying my hardest, but I don’t think it’s enough.”

“Mista Steel, you’re a fool if you think trying your hardest isn’t enough. You did something bad, sure, but you’ve paid for it enough and I ain’t gonna watch you mope around forever. You’re my bestest friend and you’re gonna win him back!” Juno can tell Rita is about to start an anecdote to one of her soap operas.

He cuts her off before she has a chance to start. “Rita, I’m not trying to win him back. I don’t have that right. No, don’t argue! This is my choice. I’m still getting better, aren’t I?” Rita nods vigorously. “Then that’s what I’ll keep doing. There’s no use holding on to what I haven’t got.”

A blanket of quiet falls over the kitchen. Juno can still feel his earlier panic attack coursing through his body, but getting all that off his chest helped a little. He can always count on Rita. He initiates their third hug of the morning, which she takes absolute delight in until her comms beep. They break away and sniffle a little before she answers the call.

“This is Rita!” She exclaims, missing only a little of her usual cheer. “Yeah? Okay, Miss Vespa what do you mean the—Oh, that’s an easy fix you just gotta—No, I told him I only took it apart, I didn’t change anything! I swear! Oh alright, I’ll be ready when you get here.” Rita puts her comms away and huffs.

“Sooooo, what was that about?” Juno asks. Vespa and Jet went to resupply and clean their ship, and if they’re already there then that means he and Rita have been sitting here for over an hour.

Rita gets up hastily and starts making her way towards the door. “I started looking around Engineering to figure out that inertial dampener thingy and then I forgot when we came here so I left it all a mess. Mista Jet is gonna pick me up in a bit to help clean it up so that Vespa can do maintenance or something. I gotta go get ready. I’ll see you later boss!”

She’s halfway down the hall when she stops, and jogs back. “Oh, and good luck today Mista Steel. I know you’re goin’ shopping with Mista Glass. Take care of yourself, okay?” And then she’s gone.

“I will,” Juno answers her, but she’s already gone. He gets up and moves to the window with his lukewarm cup of coffee. The stars are still out, and Jupiter looms above him. For some reason, the height isn’t bothering him right now. Maybe it’s because he’s had a lot of exposure therapy in the last week, or maybe he’s got too much on his mind right now. Maybe, he thinks, he’s already fallen so far that a height like this can’t even begin to compare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! I keep hurting Juno and I'm afraid that will most definitely continue in the next chapter. To everyone who checks for updates and continues to join me, thank you so much! Your kind comments and kudos make my day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends! Comin at you with another angsty as hell chapter this week. This is definitely heavier than I ever imagined it would be, and for that reason I am upping the rating from T to M. The rating going up is NOT due to sexual content. That being said, I do want to warn you that this chapter deals with some emotional manipulation, if anyone is sensitive to that. I also need to say thank you for your patience as I write this, and apologize that updates may be sporadic in the next several weeks as I am moving to my own place, starting a new job, and starting a new semester.
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> Waiting for the End- Linkin Park  
> When the Lights Turn Out- Twin Shadow

Juno has refilled his coffee cup but otherwise is still standing in front of the window when Nureyev walks into the kitchen. He doesn’t have to turn around to know it’s him, or even that he’s approaching the window as well, because Juno can smell him before he arrives. “Good morning,” Juno says, having decided to stay cordial and unaffected today. Well, he’ll pretend to be unaffected, at least.

“Good morning to you too, Juno. Did you sleep well last night?” Nureyev asks as he prepares his own coffee and breakfast. Juno resists the urge to flinch. He’s glad Nureyev can’t see his face. Who knows what he would find there.

“I slept okay. You?” This small talk thing they’re doing right now, it’s not something they’ve done before. Semblances of this conversation have passed between them before, but they always contained real sentiment. This is a pale imitation. They’re alone, so Nureyev isn’t entirely Rex Glass. He’s not flirting nearly enough for that. He’s also not really… Nureyev right now either. He’s hiding behind his manners, just like Juno.

“Just fine,” Nureyev replies, “The bed is simply marvelous.” Juno hums in agreement, and tears his eyes away from the cars below to look at him. He’s dressed in a slim suit, plain but stylish. It does wonders for his figure. It’s exactly the kind of thing an ex-Dark Matters agent would wear, minus the sunglasses. Not much point to those on Ganymede at the moment. He looks every bit the part of chauffer that he’ll be posing as today.

 _He looks good._ Juno pushes the thought aside before it makes its way to his mouth and Nureyev’s ears. Instead, he says, “Seeing as you’re already ready, I’m gonna go shower. Are we good to head out in half an hour?”

“That’s fine by me. I’ll look for some decent tailors while I eat.” Nureyev waves him off, and Juno marches off back to their room to go get ready himself. Nureyev has apparently unpacked all of his things, because his suitcase is in the corner of the room and all his toiletries are organized neatly in the bathroom.

Juno showers quickly and puts on the nicest button-down he owns. He looks at himself in the mirror and briefly thinks about using some of Nureyev’s products to gel his hair back, but he quickly stamps out that idea. He’s never once been able to tame his hair by himself, Rita isn’t here to do it for him, and he refuses to ask Nureyev for his help. Juno does, however, put on make up that would make Cecil proud. He might not have the outfits someone like Atreus would wear, but damn if he doesn’t know how to glam himself up properly.

He emerges from the bathroom with five minutes to spare. Nureyev is sitting on the bed waiting for him. “I’ve found some excellent tailors nearby, we won’t even have to take the car. That is, if you’re amenable to going for a stroll?”

Juno tries not to think about how that invitation sounds. A stroll through a foreign city, tourists on this moon, the night sky above them as they do something as mundane as shopping. _It’s not a date, it’s not a date, it’s not a date._ Juno keeps repeating that in his head, hoping that the message will stick at some point. It hasn’t so far.

“That sounds good to me. Shall we?” Nureyev nods and stands up. He doesn’t take Juno’s arm again, for which he is very thankful. The Glass façade is exhausting, and it’s easier for Juno when Nureyev is being more… himself. As they ride the elevator down all two hundred something floors, Juno allows himself a moment to pretend that he really is going out with Nureyev. 

They’ll get something nice to wear to the gala. Nureyev is his date, not Jet. Then they’ll go to a cafe and order some wine, sit outside and watch other pedestrians go about their lives. Nureyev will tell jokes and Juno will laugh at them. Juno might actually ask him to teach him how to dance later. They won’t hide how they really feel.

Except none of that is what will actually happen. Nureyev is going to help Juno pick attire for the gala that will suit what Jet is wearing, and they’ll go right back to the hotel. Then Nureyev will try to avoid him as much as possible here like he does on the ship. He’ll be out with a Nureyev who doesn’t want the same thing as Juno. They won’t talk about their feelings, although Juno might have the nerve to laugh at some of Nureyev’s pointed jokes.

And even that has to be a lie, because they’re undercover in this city. Juno has to act like a haughty boss, and it probably won’t be fun for Nureyev. He’s probably had enough of Juno deciding what’s best for him. Juno brings himself back into the present. He’s still raw from this morning; there’s not telling what lingering on thoughts of Nureyev for too long will do to him.

The elevator dings when they reach the lobby, and Atreus Caelum steps out followed by his chauffer. Again, the staff in the lobby avert their gaze in the presence of such a powerful heir from the outer rim. Juno acknowledges none of them. He just strides out onto the street with the confidence he could only have with Nureyev beside him and hopes that everyone buys his identity.

The fog from last night has cleared while they slept. Juno feels weird calling it ‘last night’ because the sky is still dark, but according to Ganymede time, it’s only a little past noon. Nureyev starts leading him to the left, and Juno follow silently. They aren’t the only ones here early for the gala, after all, and he _really_ doesn’t want to draw attention to himself before he absolutely has to. No one pays them any mind as they make their way through downtown Koronis.

After about twenty minutes of walking, Nureyev stops at a storefront that looks just like any other they’ve passed by. There’s no distinguishing marks on it so he had no idea what it’s called or how Nureyev found it, but sure enough when they go inside, it is definitely a high end tailor.

Dozens of finely designed suits, gowns, and everything between in all manors of color and style line the walls. Shoes, cufflinks, and other accessories have their own displays in side rooms. Everything in here has to be worth thousands of creds, and that’s without getting something bespoke. They’re the only customers in here, and all the employees seem to be in a back room.

Juno leans back slightly to whisper to Nureyev, not trusting that they aren’t being listened in on. “I have money, but I don’t think I have _this much money._ ”

Nureyev chuckles, and responds in a normal tone of voice. “It’s fine, milady. This one’s on me.” Well, Juno won’t say no to that.

“And what am I supposed to call you again?” Juno asks, still whispering.

“Icarus.”

“Gotcha.” Juno straightens up again, and walks through the store to the counter in the middle. No attendants have arrived yet, so he rings the bell. Immediately, two attendants dressed to the nines in clothes obviously from this store glide into the room from a curtain in the back.

“My name is Adam. This is Alex.” The first one says, and then the other follows up seamlessly with “how may we help you today?” The words flow seamlessly between them, as if they had been part of one thought shared between the two. Even the way they walk is offputtingly in tandem. They don’t look related, but Juno can’t tell for sure. Either way, they’re definitely a little creepy.

Nureyev, however, doesn’t seem phased. He steps up to them past Juno and says, “Something nice for the boss to wear to the gala. Elegant and eye-catching, but not imposing. It must flow and suit his figure, nothing sheer or too lacy, preferably metallic tones, maybe a bronze? We shall see what you prepare. Off you go.” He’s definitely done this before. Juno _was_ hoping Nureyev would take the lead here, and he definitely has.

The attendants scurry off, and Juno continues to stand awkwardly behind Nureyev. He got fitted for something nice exactly once, at a low-end-of-the-budget kind of place. At the time, he’d thought it was the nicest place he’d ever been. This place is several thousand times fancier.

He shuffles his feet a little. “So… do we get refreshments while we wait?” Juno asks jokingly, willing to try anything to get a conversation going at this point. The tense silence from their walk over here is killing him.

“I’d imagine we go wait in the fitting rooms.” Nureyev gestures to the curtains at the back that the weird duo had emerged from earlier. As much as Juno wants conversation right now, it seems that Nureyev wants to avoid it just as bad.

Juno huffs, and starts walking towards the curtains. The fitting rooms are as elegant and sophisticated at the displays at the front of the store. Adam comes in a couple minutes later to take Juno’s measurements and is soon rejoined by Alex, who has a slew of clothes over his arm and dangling from hangers.

They don’t speak much, and when they do, it’s always in that bizarre way where they finish each other’s thoughts too quickly. Juno is absolutely fine with their silence, and from the looks of it so is Nureyev. He, at least, becomes abundantly more talkative when Juno starts trying on clothes.

He changes in and out of an endless stream of clothes that cost more than he’s ever made in his life. Nureyev critiques each one, putting some aside to look at later and saying no to a vast majority. He’s not fully satisfied with any of them.

“No, that won’t do at all; it’s much to overbearing. I don’t like the fit of those shoulders. Is that gown even cut right? Oh my god, you look like Pereyra, I won’t have it. No, just… no. Who the hell decided pleating pants was a good idea?” These are only some of the things Juno hears over the span of the next several hours. He’s about to give in and ask if they can try one of the other stores Nureyev had found instead, when Alex whispers something to Adam and scurries off. Adam asks them to wait a moment, and then goes out after him.

“What do you suppose that’s about?” Nureyev asks, uncrossing his legs and sitting up. They’ve both been in too many sticky situations not to immediately be prepared to spring into action at the first sign of trouble.

“No idea. Help me get out of this thing, it’s too tight,” Juno says as he tries to undo the sashes on his back. The attendants had left him in a silk blouse with more shoulder padding than any single shirt had any right to have, and it was laced up like a corset with wide sashes. On principle, it was fashionable, but it’s also extremely uncomfortable.

Nureyev gets up and moves to stand behind Juno, who turns around to give him access to his back. Nureyev’s nimble fingers pick at the fastenings and he methodically undoes all the knots and hooks keeping it together. Juno holds his breath. This is the closest he and Nureyev have been since they were reunited. He does his best to stay still as Nureyev tugs the last sash loose and begins unwinding it from Juno’s midriff. “I should tell you,” Nureyev says with a hint of apprehension in his voice, “I did overhear a little of your conversation with Rita earlier. I left as soon as I realized how personal it was, I swear, but I heard enough to know that you haven’t moved past this as much as you’d led me to believe.”

Juno inhales sharply as their hands brush against each other. He regrets it immediately, because he gets a whiff of that infernal cologne and can’t hold himself back any longer. He leans back, squeezing his eye shut to brace for the push he knows is coming. How can Nureyev keep pulling on his heartstrings like this? He keeps telling Juno that he doesn’t want to get close to him again and then goes and starts this conversation again. Maybe he’s as indecisive as Juno is.

But Nureyev doesn’t push him away. He lets go of the sash, letting it fall into a pool on the floor at their feet. “ _Nureyev_ ,” Juno breathes out his name in a sigh as his heart melts a little. Nureyev had heard that? His broken confession of love and guilt meant only for Rita to understand? Then that had to mean something to Nureyev, if he’s engaging Juno like this. But he’s always playing a bigger game. There’s a reason Nureyev is doing this; Juno just hasn’t figured out what it is yet. Juno will take every moment he can, every touch and every word, even if it’ll only hurt him in the end.

Nureyev’s hands come to rest on Juno’s wrists, and he leans down to meet Juno halfway. He’s close enough that his hair brushes the side of Juno’s head. It all happens in the span of a second, but time has stopped for Juno. He relaxes into Nureyev’s grasp, no longer tensed for a negative reaction but keeping his eye closed for fear that if he opens it then this moment will slip away into another dream. The only sound in the room is the two of them breathing.

Surprisingly, Nureyev is the one who breaks the silence. “Juno, darling… How in the world did we ever get here?” His voice is soft and quiet, his lips brushing the shell of Juno’s ear. Juno shudders. His whole body tingles with the sensation, and Nureyev must be able to feel the goosebumps on his arms.

“I… I don’t know,” Juno stutters out. His brain is a scrambled mess of _yes this is what I’ve been waiting for_ and _no you idiot what are you doing_ and, loudest of all: _please don’t let this end, it’ll kill me_. Nureyev loosens his hold and Juno’s eye opens in a flash. Nureyev doesn’t want this anymore, Juno needs to stop it, to get out—and Nureyev turns him around. It takes every ounce of willpower Juno has to make himself look at Nureyev’s face.

Nureyev is open with him. Pained and heartbreaking and broken, but _open_. In a way he hasn’t been since Juno tried to save him by killing himself. Juno can’t imagine what he looks like right now, but he imagines he’s much the same. Nureyev isn’t pushing him away; he’s holding him closer. He reaches up to brush an unkempt curl of hair out of Juno’s face, and all of a sudden, it’s all too much again.

Juno is burning up, and his is body screams at him to get out of the fire. He listens, but he moves slowly. “We can’t keep doing this.” It’s agonizing every step of the way, but Juno moves Nureyev’s hand from his face down to his side and lightly pulls back his other hand. Nureyev’s breath hitches. Juno takes one last look into Nureyev’s eyes, before stepping out of the circle of his arms and turning away to walk back into the private dressing room and drawing the curtain behind him.

He manages to get the rest of the expensive blouse and corresponding pants off before sinking to the floor and choking out a sob. He bites his fist to keep from making noise. Outside the thin curtain, Nureyev is silent. After a minute or two, Juno hears him walk out of the room and into the main store area to speak with Alex and Adam. It’s a short while before they come back. Juno is thankful to have had enough time to collect himself.

When he opens the curtain, they hand him one garment bag. The last thing he has to try on before he can escape back to the hotel and the comfort of not being alone with his thoughts and Nureyev. Juno opens it and gasps. Inside is a swath of shimmering bronze and copper fabrics. He can’t tell what it actually is, even after sorting through it for a minute. He resolves himself to just put it on to figure it out.

Adam and Alex don’t assist him this time around either. In fact, they’ve left the fitting room area, presumably to go speak with Nureyev again, so Juno is alone when he steps out from behind to the curtain to look himself in the mirror. He looks magnificent. Juno has never really given much thought to the things he wears but this… this is on a whole new level. It looks to be somewhere halfway between a dress and a pantsuit. The skirts shift dramatically every time he moves slightly. He spins once just to try it out, and the layers revel themselves to be a long, flowing capelet.

The bodice twinkles like the starlight on Ganymede's surface but warmer, thanks to the undertones of the bronze. Juno tries to find the source, but it looks like it might be woven directly into the fabric. The sleeves are tight but sheer, exposing the muscles of his arms but leaving much to the imagination. It doesn’t look like it needs any tailoring or alterations either. It’s perfect, and exactly what Nureyev has asked the attendants to find at the beginning. Why didn’t they bring this out sooner?

Then Juno looks at the price tag, and scrambles to get it off as quickly as possible. He’d thought some of the prices for a bespoke suit were high, but this was easily five times as expensive as the most luxurious thing at the front of the stop. There’s no way Juno could ask Nureyev to pay for this.

Nureyev walks in again just as Juno re-emerges from the dressing room, once again wearing his street clothes. He looks unphased, which both impresses and enrages Juno. They can’t keep doing this dance back and forth. One of them will explode and drag the other alongside, and it will end only in more pain. “Ah, you’ve already taken it off again. I thought this one might suit you well, did you not like it?” Nureyev asks, his voice as steady as ever.

“I… I loved it. But it’s too much, it’s way too many creds for us to be spending,” Juno replies. He’s shaking a little again. 

Nureyev shakes his head. “I assure you, this is well within our price range. I don’t think you understand exactly how much money we’ll have by the time this job is up. Going on account is not the largest of my concerns at the moment.” He comes closer and Juno wills himself to stay still. He hands the garment bag over to Nureyev when he holds out his hands.

An inkling of dread pops into Juno’s head. This outfit fit him too perfectly, and this is a shop that deals exclusively in fitted, bespoke attire. No. There’s no way Nureyev had anything to do with that. Juno hates it, but he has to ask anyway. “You didn’t send my measurements here ahead of time, did you?”

Nureyev stops fiddling with the fabric and looks up at Juno. “I may have done something of the sort, yes.” Juno’s chest tightens. This thing was Nureyev’s design. He knew exactly how Juno would look and feel in something as nice as this, and probably also that it would make him uncomfortable to think about Nureyev purchasing it for him. Everything was a game to him. Was there anything about this that Nureyev hadn’t orchestrated? Was their moment from earlier also part of his grand design? He’s done nothing but mess with Juno’s head today. And here Juno thought they were making progress toward something more.

“Please don’t be upset,” he continues, “We can go somewhere else and fine another fine garment for you to wear. I just wanted to do something nice for you.” Juno doesn’t trust the sincerity in Nureyev’s voice.

If Juno was enraged before, he certainly wasn’t prepared to take that in. Nureyev is mocking him. He overheard exactly how messed up Juno was over what happened between them and decided it was alright to keep playing this cat-and-mouse game. For fuck’s sake, Juno told Rita that he was _still in love with him_ and Nureyev is toying with his heart because of it.

_Is this how you feel? I trust you. I trust you so, so much, and I’ve only gotten hurt because of it._

Juno is seething, and he doesn’t try to hide any of it. He’s done trying to stop his emotions for Nureyev’s sake. He won’t be able to move on unless he feels them fully and grows numb to them. “You know what? If that’s how you feel, lets get it. It’s a hell of a lot better than any of the other things I’ve tried on, which was apparently all a waste of time while this was getting made. Pay for it and let’s go. God, I can’t _believe_ I thought there was still something between us when you're just using me.” Juno storms out of the dressing room and into the display room, where Nureyev has apparently dropped shoes and jewelry for him to go along with the attire on the counter. Nureyev had just gone out to finish their business here while Juno broke down and sobbed behind a curtain. That stings.

“Ju—Atreus wait!” He bursts out from the dressing room, bronze silks in hand, and tries to grab Juno’s shoulder. Adam and Alex stand together behind the counter, studiously avoiding the painful scene that’s obviously about to happen.

Juno shakes him off and turns around violently. A small part of his brain is reminding him not to blow their cover, so he chooses his next words carefully. “You don’t get to make demands of _me_. I thought we established that recently, hmm?” It hurts Juno to say these things, and he tears up again. The outburst from earlier hasn’t dissipated yet. Nureyev is a rabbit caught in the headlights: frightened and nervous. Juno digs the knife in deeper. “We’ve both made apologies now, and neither of us are satisfied. Let’s stop pretending that this—” and he takes a step back, gesturing between them “—is anything but a working relationship. I’m done.”

Less than half an hour ago, Juno had sunk into this man’s arms and let himself be enveloped by him again. For just a moment, he’d let himself believe there was still a partnership between him and Nureyev. Broken and bruised, yes, but a partnership nonetheless. Now, that man stands in front of him, looking guilty and pleased with himself at the same time. Despite everything, he still believed that he was important to Nureyev. He still believed that they could trust each other, that he could trust him. 

From the very start, Juno knew not to trust the crook. He let himself play along and somewhere along the way he lost sight of the fact that, at his very core, Nureyev is never who he says he is. Even if his feelings for Juno are real, he still manipulated him today. And come to think of it, he’s been subtly manipulating Juno’s actions since they met. It was charming at the time, but looking back on it now Juno can see all the red flags, and it terrifies him that he keeps missing them.

Excluding the wild card that is Rita, Juno can’t remember a time when he opened up to someone and they didn’t leave him feeling like this. He’s been down this road before. But it stops right fucking now. This is the last time Juno Steel learns his lesson: trusting someone will only bring him pain.

Nureyev opens his mouth to speak, but Juno won’t let him. He’s afraid he’ll change his mind if he gives Nureyev a chance to defend himself. “You said you were going to pay for this. I’m going ahead by myself,” Juno grits out, resisting the urge to punch something. He hustles out of the store and hurries back to the hotel at a brisk pace. The bell at the door tinkles, signifying that Nureyev has opened it to watch him leave. Juno doesn’t give him the satisfaction of looking back.

He barely makes it back to the hotel room before he loses his composure and breaks down. Thankfully, the suite is empty. Juno cries silently anyway. He used all his fighting energy back at the store, and all he has left is the aftermath. He feels cold and empty again, like that black hole he’s been trying to outrun finally caught up with him.

Everything aches, from head to toe. His heart especially. It cries out at him for doing this to himself and to Nureyev. When he closes his eye, all he can see is Nureyev’s last expression. There is no more peaceful or laughing version of him in Juno’s head, only the one he just created. Juno hyperventilates. Again, he has overreacted to a soft moment between them, and pushed away the love of his life. It was such a small thing to get angry over, but the manipulation has always started with small things, hasn’t it? It’ll only gets worse if Juno lets it.

_I swore I wouldn’t do this, I can’t believe I did it again, why, why, why. All I do is hurt the both of us. This has to stop._

Juno tried to keep himself out of the bedroom he’s sharing with Nureyev, but he can’t help it. This is the weakest he’s been in a while. He curls up on his side of the bed and waits for everything to go away, but it doesn’t. Everything would be so much easier if he could just stop being in love with Nureyev. He’d been very purposefully malicious to Nureyev, and all it did was hurt him to say it, hurt Nureyev, and hurt him again to see Nureyev so pained.

He must have been out of his mind when he’d considered that Nureyev’s feelings for him were a lie. His love and his name, those are the two things he clings to, and Juno keeps dragging them through the mud. This arrangement will never work out. There’s a conversation that needs to be had, one that isn’t cut short, and it will end with both of them wrecked, washing up on separate shores.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: updates may no longer be consistent! They are still coming but finding time to sit down and write has been difficult lately.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I managed to update on time! I no longer am working off of a backlog of chapters, so I'm more worried about editing than normal, but I'm glad I got this out! Prepare for emotional whiplash lol.
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)- Meat Loaf  
> Locked & Loaded- Twin Shadow

_He’s running again, but this time it feels different. “Keep going. Let me help you,” says the voice inside his head. She is soothing, but now there’s an edge to her tone that Juno hasn’t heard before. She is no longer calm enough to keep his fears at bay._

_The seemingly endless corridor he’s been running through will come to an end soon. He doesn’t know how he knows this; the information is just there in his mind. He can see a pinprick of light up ahead. It’s the exit! Juno picks up the pace of his own free will, or at least he thinks he does. He can’t tell if he did it himself or if whoever is controlling him had the same idea._

_Juno is sprinting, now. The light grows bigger and brighter ever so slowly as he approaches it. He doesn’t even think to stop as it looms in front of him. He wants to know what’s on the other side, he HAS to know! It’s what he’s been looking for. He’s been chasing it all this time and he can’t imagine what will happen if he doesn’t find…_

_What is he trying to find again? Juno can’t remember. He knows it’s important because his voice says it is. “Keep going, Juno Steel. It’s on the other side!” So he sprints full speed through the blinding light, faster than any human has ever run before, and abruptly stops._

_Inertia carries him those extra few steps to the ledge and he stumbles, clinging onto the precipice from which he now hangs. The tunnel led out to the side of a cliff, with only a small platform on the other side. Far, far below him is a desert. It looks familiar, and Juno knows he’s been here before._

_He’s so tired. He doesn’t have the strength to pull himself back onto the platform. Juno hangs there, clinging desperately to the ledge. He’s afraid of heights, he doesn’t want to fall, please keep holding on. “Let go,” says the voice. Juno wants to ignore her but he can’t. His body moves against his will. One hand slips off the ledge, one finger at a time._

_“Let go,” she says again, “let go. Let go.” Juno holds on tight with one hand and tries to bring the other back up, to no avail. Somehow, his body’s instincts are keeping him from following instructions. The voice drones on and on, repeating the phrase over and over, but Juno knows he can’t trust her now. He won’t do as he’s told._

_And then a shadow passes over him. A figure comes into view above him. It crouches down to peer at him, and Juno realizes that he knows this man. He can’t remember anything beyond that, but he is more familiar to Juno than the desert below. His name is right on the tip of his tongue._

_The man resembles a fox, with sharp teeth and clever eyes, his hair slicked back in a way that makes Juno want to run his fingers through it. This man he can trust. This man won’t lead him astray like the peaceful voice inside his head. Juno believes this wholeheartedly, right up until the point where the man grins, and reaches out to pry one of Juno’s fingers from the ledge._

_Something immeasurable inside Juno shatters. Something has changed fundamentally, and he doesn’t know what it is. He wishes desperately that he had done what he was supposed to before he was exposed to this feeling. The man above him is frozen in his crouched position, hand resting over Juno’s. He’s holding Juno in place for now, but all Juno wants to do is let go._

* * *

Juno wakes up with his heart trying its hardest to pound itself out of his chest. He usually has bad panic attacks after his dreams, but never has he experienced it like this. This dream was different from the rest. Worse. Being haunted by Nureyev while he slept was bad enough a year ago. The Theia has only been in his nightmares for a couple months. Putting them together might be the death of him. Juno doesn’t want another nightmare like this; he wouldn’t be able to handle it.

He’s still alone in the room, curtains half drawn to the perpetual night outside. Juno hadn’t bothered with any of the lamps when he made it back to the hotel. He’s drawn almost the entirety of the covers around himself and curled up into a ball. Juno hastily tried to make the bed in an effort to hide his suffering from Nureyev whenever he returns. His pillows and parts of the covers are tearstained. Juno hopes it’ll dry up quickly.

There are muffled voices coming from the suite’s living room just outside the door. Juno can recognize Rita clearly enough, although he has no idea what she’s saying. He opens the door and pads out as quietly as he can. He has a feeling she’s talking to Nureyev, if the angry quality in her voice is anything to go by. He doesn’t know if he’s trying to eavesdrop so he can step in and save Nureyev from a scolding or thoroughly enjoy watching get said scolding.

Sure enough, Rita is berating a very distressed looking Nureyev. She’s not shouting. Rather, she’s using that eerily calm and fuming tone that barely conceals her rage. Juno’s only heard it a few times as long he’s known her, but when she uses it she always gets her point across. Usually it’s to get Juno to pull himself together.

“And I don’t care what happened between you two in the past, you both gotta get over it! I know Mista Steel cares about ya and I know that you know that. I got a feeling you care about him too, so whatever this is better stop right now!” It’s not as simple as Rita makes it seem. Well, it is, kind of, but Juno can’t let go of the things holding him back. Nureyev can’t either.

Nureyev opens his mouth to respond, but Rita keeps going: “I recognized you, ya know. Not from the Kanagawa mask case, but from Juno’s birthday last year. I never forget people. You sure did your disguise good, the voice and the hair and everything. It took me a while, but I figured it out. Only reason I never told Mista Steel is I think he figured it out himself, but if I told him for certain then he woulda spiraled back outa control and I couldn’t watch that again.”

Juno’s mouth runs dry. He knows exactly what Rita is referring too. The night she took him to the movies for his birthday, someone had delivered flowers to her apartment for him. He’d thought he was being followed on the way over, but he’d brushed it off as being overworked and paranoid. The feeling had gone away after he’d gotten to Rita’s place so he didn’t think any more of it. But he’d known the flowers were from Nureyev, or at least he’d hoped they were.

He’d assumed Nureyev had sent them to mock him. Dahlias and roses, tied together with a pretty little bow in a bouquet. He’d have ordered them from some planet light years away, and a courier dropped them off to Rita because she wouldn’t ask the same questions Juno would about where they were from. The timing was just a coincidence. But there was no courier. Nureyev had been on Mars and dropped them off himself. He wouldn’t do that just to mock Juno. That meant that he cared. That despite how angry and heartbroken he’d been, he still wanted to do something nice for Juno.

Hadn’t that been what he said in the shop earlier? _“I just wanted to do something nice for you.”_ Juno shakes his head to clear it. No. Even if his intentions had been pure, Juno still felt played. He has a right to his emotions. But they have to sort things out properly, otherwise the little miscommunications and assumptions they have going on will continue to blow up in their faces like that.

“I don’t have any excuses, Rita,” Nureyev says quietly. Juno was about to retreat back into the bedroom, but he tunes back in for Nureyev’s response. “I can’t tell you who I really am. Juno knows, of course, and if he hasn’t told you then I won’t either. It’s his secret to keep. But I can tell you that the last thing in the universe I want to do is hurt him again.”

“It’s a bit too late for that,” Rita bites back petulantly.

Nureyev sighs. “I know. And I want to try and fix it. But I fear the best thing I could do for Juno at the moment is leave him alone. He’s asked me to do so, and I won’t go against his wishes.” What Juno wants and what he says are two different things. Nureyev should know that by now.

Rita stands up with her favorite annoyed sound. “I’ve had enough of this! I know him better than you do Mista Glass, and I’m tellin you that he won’t tell you the truth unless you make him! He has a hard enough time being honest with himself, and that makes it harder for him to be honest with the rest of us! I swear, I keep trying to send that lady to therapy but he just won’t go. All he has now is me, since we left Mars, and I’m gonna do what’s best for him!”

Nureyev looks like he’s about to make a retort, but he just nods his head in understanding. Rita looks satisfied with the result of her discussion, so she sits back down as well. Juno is about to make his way back to the bedroom to hide from his eavesdropping when the elevator at the end of the hall dings, signaling the return of some of the crew. There’s not enough time to duck back into the bedroom discreetly, so he opens the door to make it look like he’s just come out of it.

It works, because he can hear Rita and Nureyev get up quickly from the living room to come to the hall, and Buddy doesn’t even glance at him when she comes out of the elevator. In fact, she walks right by him without any acknowledgement. Damn, maybe he could have made it without anyone knowing he was there after all.

When Buddy doesn’t even say hi to Nureyev and Rita, Juno knows something is up. She marches right into the sitting room and calls out, “Oh good, you’re both here. Steel, get in here and sit down!” She sounds angry. Juno gulps and follows her back to the common area, letting the bedroom door shut behind him. So much for escaping whatever comes next.

Juno studiously avoids looking at Nureyev and Rita, but he can feel them both bore holes into the back of his head. Buddy is the only one standing, and now that Juno is paying attention he can see that she’s pissed. The only time he’s seen her more upset was when she found out Vespa was still alive, and even then she wasn’t this angry. “Now,” she says calmly, “would either of you care to explain what happened today?”

Rita opens her mouth but Buddy shuts her down quickly. “Not you, doll. I’m sure you know, but these two caused quite a ruckus and I want to know why they thought that was a good idea.”

Neither of them say a word, but Nureyev catches his eye and gives him an apologetic look. Buddy stands with her hands on her hips, waiting for an answer. “Nothing? Well, good thing I heard the whole story from literally fourteen different sources over the past hour and a half. So I know about your dramatic little spat. We’re lucky the Caelum cover isn’t blown, but the gossip around town is that Atreus’ not-so-best-kept-secret lover is a lanky man with glasses and not the tall imposing one he was made out to be. Congratulations, Glass, our darling Jet now gets to take over the Icarus chauffeur identity and you get to be the one sweeping Atreus off his feet at the gala as Ares!”

She lets that sink in for a moment. Nureyev realizes the implications before Juno. “Buddy, I’m afraid that won’t be possible, given the circumstances of—” 

“I don’t want your excuses! This is work, and I’ve never seen you fuck up this badly before, if ever. I’ve always expected the utmost professionalism from you. Quite frankly, I’m more disappointed in you than Juno.” Juno doesn’t take that to heart. But it does confirm two things: one, that Nureyev has worked with this crew in the past and two, that Juno does have an effect on him. He shouldn’t feel good about that, but it helps rebuild the bridge in his head between Nureyev’s lies and his good intentions.

Nureyev falls silent. Juno tries to process what going to the gala with Nureyev would be like. He’d fantasized about it just this morning; it shouldn’t be so hard to recall it now. The room is quiet. Oh, they’re waiting for him to say something. Juno has to make a decision quickly.

If he says yes to this, he’ll have to have that long overdo honest conversation with Nureyev. He’ll have to pretend like they’re still lovers, and dress up nice and dance in public for hours on end. It’ll be painful, but Juno knows he’d rather have all that then not. That conversation will have to happen either way.

“I’m sorry about the mess, Buddy. If he has to be the new Ares, I’m good with that. The job comes before any personal issues,” Juno finally responds.

Nureyev and Buddy reply simultaneously with an incredulous “what.” Buddy was clearly gearing up for a big speech about working together and maintaining cover and staying professional and all that, but it seems to have gone out the drain. There’s no point if Juno’s already agreed.

She nods, and turns to Nureyev. “He doesn’t have a problem with it. Do you still have one?” He shakes his head, still looking dumbstruck at Juno.

Buddy claps her hands together. “Good! I’ll let Jet know when he gets back. You two, however, need to get this mess between you sorted right quick. There’s only a few days before the gala and we can’t have another outburst like that. Miss Rita, if you will?”

Rita knows exactly what she wants, and therefore Juno knows what’s coming next. He gets up and puts his hands in the air, surrendering, but Rita still grabs his shirt and pulls him along. Nureyev gets the same treatment from Buddy. “Hey,” he yelps, “What are you—really that’s not necessary…”

They manhandle them into their shared bedroom. Rita lets go of Juno at the door with only a little nudge to hurry him along, but Buddy practically throws Nureyev into the room and he stumbles a little towards one of the windows. The last thing either of them see from the hall is Rita closing and locking the door from the outside with a huge grin plastered on her face. She’s probably wanted to do that to them since the moment they started acting weird around each other on the ship.

Nureyev is back at the door in no time, trying to get it open. It stings a little that he desperately doesn’t want to be trapped with Juno. Had this happened a year ago, he would have slung an arm around his shoulders and taken this opportunity to flirt with him. Juno supposes he can’t be too upset by it, he really doesn’t want to be alone with Nureyev right now either. Neither of them like feeling trapped regardless.

Juno sighs and takes a seat on the edge of the bed. This is the time for that conversation, but he’ll be damned if he speaks first. He’s had some time to cool off after the incident at the tailor’s shop, but he’s still upset with Nureyev for manipulating him. It was salt in an old wound and it’s still festering.

After ten minutes of messing with the lock on the door, Nureyev gives up. He’s crafty and a skilled thief, but no one can outdo Rita when it comes to technology. Nureyev must know that. He’s just procrastinating on having this talk, same as Juno.

Finally, he leans back on his haunches and lets his tools fall out of his hands. “I give up. I can’t get it open, not with your assistant on the other side. Looks like we’re stuck in here for the foreseeable future.”

Juno snorts. “I could have told you that.”

They fall back into uncomfortable silence.

“Juno,” Nureyev starts, speaking carefully but still looking at the ground in front of the door, “I am sorry if my actions today were in any way offensive. I shouldn’t have assumed you wouldn’t see my surprise gift as anything but what it was. I meant no harm by it, and I apologize.”

“Apology accepted.” Juno forces himself to keep watching Nureyev, not letting his eye stray to anywhere else like it wants to. Nureyev turns around in surprise, fully seating himself on the floor. He was just trying to be kind and give Juno a gift. Like with the birthday flowers, the message was too jumbled for Juno to get that.

“What?” Juno asks. He knows Nureyev wasn’t expecting that, but there’s no point in dwelling on their argument in the store unless Juno wants to unpack all the baggage of his previous relationship. He doesn’t want anyone else’s history to be a part of this.

Nureyev leans his head back against the door with a quiet thunk. “You’re much more mature now, you know. I guess that happens when you go through the things you’ve done the past year.” It feels like a dig at Juno’s failings, but he knows he needs to look past that for the real meaning. He gets it.

“I’ve changed. I know that, you know that. Only question is if that changes what happens to us next.” _Damn it, stop being cryptic. Just say what you need to say._ “What I’m trying to say is… Look, I know we talked about this a week ago, but it’s clearly messing with our work. I still care about you, and you still care about me. We both know that. We either move forward with that or let it die, but either way we have to a make a decision. Right now.”

Juno lays it out like he sees it. They have to do something about their feelings or they’ll only have more problems in the future. If it has to end, Juno will be upset but he’ll get past it. He’s done it before. He’s not sure if Nureyev has, but Nureyev has always adapted to survive in the past. Who says getting over a broken heart is any different?

Nureyev closes his eyes. He doesn’t move or say anything. It puts Juno on edge. He’s already spilled his heart to Rita and an eavesdropping Nureyev this morning, and apparently he’ll have to do it again in order to get a real conversation going. “Nureyev,” Juno says, trying to get his attention. No response. “Nureyev,” he says again, louder.

Nureyev twitches, but otherwise doesn’t react. “Nureyev!” Juno almost shouts, and Nureyev’s eyes shoot open. He’s on his feet and striding across the floor to Juno.

“Don’t say that name so loudly!” He’s upset. Good, maybe he’ll finally say what’s really on his mind in an angry outburst.

“Why not?!” Juno retorts. “You gave me that name, right? I can do what I want with it.”

“You---” But Nureyev doesn’t get a chance to finish his thought. He grabs Juno’s arm angrily, and on reflex Juno reverse the hold and throws Nureyev down onto the bed, pinning him. All the fight goes out of him immediately. He just lies there glaring angrily up at Juno. Juno doesn’t have time to fixate on the position he’s put them in.

It’s time to be honest, with himself and with Nureyev. “I’m sorry about everything, okay? Not just leaving you behind in that hotel room. I’m sorry I treated your name like shit. I’m sorry that I didn’t trust you sooner, and that I’ve been such a miserable ass since we saw each other again, and for what happened today. I can keep apologizing for every little thing I did wrong, but that’s not gonna change anything now!”

Juno tightens his grip around Nureyev wrists. He has to brace himself for what he’s about to say next. “I know you have regrets too, so you know I’m right when I say they make us not want to have any more of them. Which is why I’m telling you now, my biggest regret is that when you told me you fell in love with me that I didn’t say the same thing to you.”

“But you did….” Nureyev says, obviously a little confused. He tries to get a hand free, but Juno keeps him locked in place. He could break free if he really tried, but he lets Juno keep control of the situation.

Juno shakes his head and bites back tears. It’s not as hard as it used to be. “I didn’t. I wanted to say it properly. I’m a fool, not because I fell in love with you but because I decided I’d rather leave when I realized it than let my heart get broken later. Well it’s later, and my heart still got broken.” He loosens his grip on Nureyev’s arms, and one of them comes up to cup Juno’s face. He lets it.

“I love you, Nureyev. I’m so in love with you that it hurts. And I don’t know what to do, and you’ve been sending all these mixed signals and all I want to do is forget about it because it’s only hurting the both of us.” Juno sits back on Nureyev’s thighs and drop his arms to his sides. 

The hand cupping Juno’s face is joined by another one that wipes away a tear. “Oh Juno,” he breathes out gently, having sat up a little himself, “I had no idea you felt like that.”

Juno sniffs. “Don’t lie to me. You overheard me tell Rita almost the exact same thing.”

“I didn’t. I heard you tell her how you lost your eye and went to take a shower so you’d have some space. This is the first I’m hearing you use the word ‘love,’ ever.” Well, that explains why Nureyev thought it was okay to hold him and give him something expensive. To him, it was a good-faith gesture meant to comfort Juno and lift his spirits, but to Juno it was just rubbing his feelings in his face.

He can’t help but laugh a little at that, although that only makes him cry more. He can feel Nureyev choke out a sob too, and opens his eye to look. Sure enough, more than just a few tears have made their way down his face. Nureyev, crying? He’s never seen that before. Briefly, he wonders if Nureyev cried quietly like this when he woke up alone.

“Well, now you know,” Juno says. He’s afraid to reach up and wipe away Nureyev’s tears the way he just did for Juno. He’s afraid that he’ll break the moment again. But Juno is done not doing things because he’s afraid, so he reaches up to Nureyev’s face and mirrors his hold.

He must have done the right thing, because Nureyev smiles. It’s Juno’s favorite smile, too, the one that makes him feel all warm inside. Nureyev pulls him in, resting their foreheads together. Or he tries to, at least. The strap of Juno’s eyepatch gets in the way. “Do you mind if I…”

Nureyev trails off, but he’s gently lifting the eyepatch already. Juno knows what he’s asking. He swallows nervously, but lets out a shaky “Yes. No. I mean, you can take it off.” He hasn’t even looked in a mirror without his right eye socket covered since he got the new eyepatch a couple months ago. It brings back too many memories, but he supposes that’s what Nureyev is after right now. Nureyev pulls the eyepatch off Juno’s head, careful not to let the strap get caught on his curly hair. He studies it for a second before placing it carefully on his nightstand.

Juno doesn’t say anything as Nureyev brushes a finger over his right cheekbone, just under the scarring. It doesn’t hurt, not anymore. Sometimes it’ll ache if he’s tired or if a storm is coming, but right now there’s nothing. Then Nureyev presses their foreheads together like he’d tried to do before. Juno closes his eye lets himself focus on the feel of Nureyev’s face between his hands.

He’s hyper-aware of all sensation in the moment. Nureyev’s legs shift a little underneath him, scooting him closer towards the heat of his body. Juno can feel Nureyev’s breath on his face, and inhales the scent of that intoxicating cologne that he can never seem to get used to. It almost gets to be too much again, but Juno won’t let it overwhelm him this time. He still doesn’t know if this means anything for them.

“I meant it when I said we can’t go back to the way things were,” Nureyev says softly, and Juno knows that this is over. This is the last moment he’ll have to enjoy Nureyev’s intimacy. He’ll take what he can get, like he’s always done when it comes to Nureyev. “What you said… you’re not wrong. We’re in each other’s life again, we’ll have to make this work. So how about we start again?”

Juno’s heart flutters. Start again? He knows Nureyev doesn’t mean it in a ‘first date’ kind of way, but starting their entire relationship again from scratch? That’ll be difficult for the both of them. Juno can see the merits of it, though. It’s not the same as pretending their history doesn’t exist, it’s letting go of all of it for the sake of moving forward. It sucks, but Juno knows it might be the best chance they have at working together again.

But he doesn’t want to lose Nureyev, not again. “We can—we can do that. Start again. But you have to make a deal with me first.” Juno really doesn’t want to do this. It feels like he’s betraying Nureyev again. Not just Nureyev, but himself too.

“Anything. What is it?” Nureyev asks.

“I’ll accept your name. Nureyev. I won’t use it anymore. You’ll be Rex Glass, and I’ll be Juno Steel, and we go right back to the beginning. We start over, for real.”

“Juno, that’s not what I meant—”

“I know. That’s why I told you it was a deal. You said you’d do anything.”

“Not this,” Nureyev says quietly, “I can’t lose you entirely.” Now he knows what Juno knows; that this is their last moment as Juno and Nureyev. There will be no more them, but there also won’t be any tension with the crew or problems with their work.

“You won’t. I promise.” They’re both still crying, but Juno can’t bring himself to care about that.

It’ll mean another layer of separation between them. Juno already stopped calling him Peter in his head, and now he won’t be able to call him Nureyev anymore either.

So Juno memorizes the feel of Nureyev’s hands and breath on his face, the way he says Juno’s name, the glimmer in his eye and his sad, knowing smile. He wishes he had the nerve to lean in for a kiss. Then he takes a deep breath, and pulls away from Nureyev for the last time.

He wipes his face and sticks out his right hand. “I’m Juno Steel. It’s nice to meet you, Rex Glass.”

Glass shakes his hand, putting his Dark Matters agent face back on. “Good to see you again, detective. I’m glad to see you’re not climbing out a window this time.”

Juno laughs. This isn’t as difficult as he thought it would be. Once he made the decision, it was actually quite easy to just let go.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much trouble finding motivation to write this chapter, even though I've been building up in my head for about a month. The liveshow announcement gave me the boost I needed to finally get it all down! So please enjoy this slightly late but slightly longer chapter!
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> Tiny Tiny Steps- Oakwood Station  
> We Don't Have to Be Ordinary- Something in the Night  
> Earth Angel- The Penguins

Rex and Juno sit in couches opposite each other by one of the windowed walls in their bedroom. They sip whisky from the mini-bar under the TV, laugh at each other’s jokes, and discuss the job. Particularly, Rex is trying to figure out what he’ll wear to gala now that he’s taking Jet’s place as Ares. It feels awkward as hell, at least to Juno, but somehow it’s comfortable. The edge that had previously threatened all their interactions is gone. Juno’s eyepatch is back on, too.

Juno actively reminds himself that this is Rex Glass in front of him. He’s careful not to use any other name, even in his head. Though they allude to their history occasionally, it feels like they’re discussing two entirely different people. In a way, they kind of are. Juno won’t let himself slip up. _This is Rex. Rex Glass and no one else._

“Hmmm,” Rex hums, biting the end of his pen as he looks at the rough design he’s just drawn. “I like the cut of the shirt, but I simply can’t decide on a color. Any thoughts, detective?” He turns his sketch towards Juno. His doodling has gotten much better since Juno last saw him draw, but it’s still a little wiggly around the edges.

The design in question is a pantsuit reminiscent of the dreadful thing with the sash that Juno needed help getting out of. Rex’s idea is much nicer, in Juno’s humble opinion. The shirt is fitted but flowy at the same time, which will accentuate Rex’s shoulders. It’s open in a V from the navel where it tucks into several layers of sashes that take the place of a cummerbund and opens up wide at the shoulders to expose his collarbones. It’s open the exact same way down his back. The pants are just simple dress slacks by comparison.

Juno thinks for a moment before steadying his voice as much as possible. “A dark blue. Make it shimmer a little, like that,” he says, and points to the landscape of Ganymede just beyond the skyline.

Rex’s eyes light up. “Marvelous! Yes, I think that will go quite nicely with what you’ll be wearing.” Juno agrees. He might not have much of an eye for fashion, but he knows what Rex looks like against the glittering surface of the moon. It’s quite the sight.

Sometime in the next hour, Rex also realizes that he’ll no longer be on break-in duty on Vali, and laments over the fact that Jet will take his place and proceed to claim the title of “Best Thief in the Galaxy.” Juno thinks he’s being preposterous, but he does admit that it’s a possibility. At least he’ll have someone skilled at card games to back him up at the event.

And that’s how Rita finds them when she unlocks the door to check on them. They’d heard Jet and Vespa return a little while ago, probably having run a few errands after Rita fixed the mess she’d made of the inertial dampeners on the ship.

“So that’s it, then? You two seem cozier by a longshot!” Rita proclaims with her hands on her hips, posturing as much as she can. Juno can tell she’s nervous about this outcome, though. 

He knows her too well. But that goes both ways, which is probably why she believes him when he says, “We talked it out. Glass and I are good to go.” He shares a smile with Rex before continuing, “So can we come out and have dinner with the crew now or do we have to stay locked up a bit longer?”

“That depends,” comes Jet’s voice from the doorway, “Are you ready to be Ares? I was looking forward to an evening out on the town.” Juno can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic, malicious, or genuine. 

Rex flashes his teeth in a big grin. “I wrote the cover, remember? When have you ever known me to forget something like that?” He retorts innocently, but Juno can think of a few times he’s broken character.

Apparently so can Jet. “I’ve never known you to cause a scene that would jeopardize a job before. I will quiz you over dinner.” He turns and walks away, leaving the door open behind him.

Rita, seemingly satisfied, follows him out. “Well come on then! Buddy made dinner tonight!” Rex and Juno both jump to their feet and hurry to the suite’s dining room. Buddy is a good cook, and the best one on the ship by far.

Dinner passes by without incident, and surprisingly so do the rest of the days before the gala. Rex and Juno get along swimmingly, the awkwardness of getting back into their old dynamic fading by the time they went to bed. No one pretended to be asleep or stared out the window with a bottle in his hand. In fact, they fell sleep facing each other, no longer on the edge of their respective sides of the bed, after staying up late to talk.

All in all, it’s an improvement. Juno can’t deny that his feelings for this man are overwhelming, but Rex Glass is almost beyond that. He fits right back into Juno’s life like the piece of a years old puzzle he was missing and forgot about until now. They’re partners again. It’s all that Juno had hoped for and more.

And that feeling doesn’t subside over the next few days. The crew clears the extra living room to make space for dancing lessons. Juno is skeptical that he can learn to dance properly in the short time that they have, but Jet and Rex are determined to help him attain passable skill. Apparently, Juno retained more from Benzaiten’s lessons than he thought. He’s no pro like his brother, but he likes to think that Ben would be elated to see him dance, even if it was a ballroom style. That never was his forte.

Regardless, Juno enjoys the lessons. Jet is an impatient but literal instructor, the latter of which Juno appreciates. It’s much easier to follow Jet’s step-by-step instructions than it is Rex’s flowery language. Dancing is an art, Juno agrees with him on that point, but his counterpoint is that no one can make art without understanding the basics. This conversation is had too many times to count, and always results in Rex pulling Jet out onto the floor to demonstrate his point.

Most of the time, Rita sits in a loveseat that was pushed into a corner pressed against one of the windowed walls. After one incident where she hijacked the speakers they were using for music to play the audio for her streams, she was banned from watching TV in the common area. She sits with her comms screen projected onto the coffee table, prepping for her portion of the Vali job. Vespa joins her every once in a while to provide insights to building layouts, security, personnel, etc. Buddy keeps the coffee and snacks coming, but she spends a decent amount of time out of the suite doing who knows what. She seems to have forgiven Rex and Juno for their transgression, but Juno can’t really tell.

The easy atmosphere mirrors the one on the ship, but without the underlying tension between Juno and Rex, it’s a lot more enjoyable for everyone. They actually have a good time working together. It doesn’t hurt that their first ‘mission’ isn’t anything other than going to a party, albeit undercover. It won’t be that difficult for Juno and Rex to look like they’re just there to have a good time. Knowing them, they actually will.

On the morning of the gala, Rex wakes up early as hell to go pick up the outfit he designed. He’s back with it before anyone is even awake yet, and slips back into the bed. Juno only knows because Rex woke him up when he returned. “How is it?” he asks in a sleep-slurred voice, reaching up to rub his eye. He’s stopped sleeping with his eyepatch on, and it’s actually helped him rest better. There haven’t been any nightmares in the last few days, at least.

“Gorgeous. Although I do hope the gala isn’t cold, neither of us are wearing anything modest.” Rex shuffles around a little under the covers before deciding to chuck his shirt. He never was one for sleeping in too many layers. He pulls the covers back up and nuzzles into the pillow, eyes already half-closed again. Clearly, Rex is planning on sleeping in.

Juno chuckles, “My, my, the dance isn’t until tonight and already you’re getting undressed with me in your bed.” It’s a joke, and Juno even means it as one. Really. It’s what their banter is usually like, but in the context of a lazy early morning, both half-dressed and bleary-eyed, it could be mistaken for something more. For a moment, Juno believes he’s broken their truce and his walls start caving in.

But Rex laughs. It’s a fully-body laugh that shakes the bed and abates Juno’s fear. Rex scoots closer to swat Juno’s arm and buries his face in another pillow. “Let me sweep you off your feet first, dear detective,” he yawns, “Really though, I need more… sleep…” And then he’s out again.

Juno, tired before, is now wide awake after his blunder. That could have been _really_ bad. He takes a few minutes to stabilize his breathing before it turns into a small panic attack. And then he looks at Rex, snoring with his mouth open in the middle of the bed. He brushes a hair out of Rex’s face and smiles. Waking up like this is like waking into a dream, one he never wants to leave.

After he’s calmed down a little, Juno lies back into his own pillows and adjusts the covers. It really is way too early in the morning to be awake, so he might as well follow Rex’s lead and try to sleep in.

It works, but only for a few minutes. At least that’s what it feels like when someone starts banging on the door and yelling at them to “get the hell up and eat breakfast while it’s hot!” Both of them wake with a start, ready for a fight, but the banging stops when they yelp and footsteps fade away from the door in the direction of the kitchen.

So much for sleeping in; as much as you _can_ sleep in on a moon with a night that lasts days at a time.

Breakfast is rambunctious. It usually is, with Rita there, but she’s been more mindful of her eating habits since they left Mars. Juno doesn’t know if it’s because she’s trying to impress everyone or if her new friends have had a calming influence over her. It might be a little bit of both.

Juno enters the room first followed closely by Rex, and Buddy turns around from her position at the counter to hand each of them a plate. “A couple of regular sleeping beauties, aren’t you?” She asks in a light tone. 

Rex hums and seats himself at the table next to Jet. “Not quite yet, I’m afraid,” he says, “Give me a couple hours to pretty myself up for the gala before you give me anymore compliments.” Juno laughs and sits down across from him with his own plate.

“Yes, yes, the prom isn’t until tonight, we get it. You get to go party while the rest of us sit at home watching movies with Rita,” Buddy retorts, leaning up against the counter. Juno frowns. He hates stuffy events and as much as he’s looking forward to a night on the town with Rex, he’d much rather they stay here and curl up on the couch with everyone for a movie marathon.

“Yeah!” Rita chimes in with her mouth full of food. “Mista Jet is gonna help pick the movies. It’s gonna be so great!” She goes back to her food, and Juno catches Jet looking at her fondly. He doubts it’s anything romantic, but those two have become good friends in a very short time frame. Juno’s happy to see Rita found a replacement for Fran.

Juno thinks Jet will have more fun here with Rita and his friends than out dancing with him anyway.

Breakfast is a noisy affair once everyone has had their coffee, except Jet who drinks tea. Rita helps Buddy and Vespa clean up after they’re done and Rex heads right back to bed for another couple hours of sleep. Juno should probably rest up a bit more too, since they’ll be out all night and he isn’t as young as he used to be, much as he hates to admit it.

Jet pulls Juno into the living room they’ve been using to teach Juno to dance. He assumes it’s for once last lesson or two, but instead of assuming a start position, Jet sits him down on Rita’s window couch. It’s covered in crumbs, but they’re both used to that by now.

“Juno, I told you several days ago that Rex Glass was dangerous,” he says. 

Juno waits for him to continue but he doesn’t open his mouth again. “Yeah, and? I knew that already, and that’s not what we fought about, if you’re wondering.”

“I am not,” Jet responds, “but I wanted to elaborate. We have worked together before, many times in fact. I just wished to inform you that although he dangerous, I do not believe he is a danger to you. Not anymore, at least.”

“And what does that mean?” Juno asks defensively.

Jet frowns. It’s obvious that he’s struggling to find the right words to explain himself. Juno waits patiently for him to get them out. “Before… there was tension. It was uncomfortable, for all of us. Now it is gone. It will come back, but the manner in which your dispute was resolved and in so little time makes me believe that Glass has become a different person since meeting you. A better person.”

That makes Juno a little happy. He knows Rex has changed a lot in the time he’s known him, not as much as Juno, of course, but still. But to hear someone who truly knew him before they met say that he made some sort of positive impact gives Juno’s ego a boost. He wasn’t the only one who’s life changed by their relationship. 

“He is not to be trusted,” Jet continues, “Not completely. But he is friendlier, now. Less… afraid… to settle down somewhere. He’s never worked a job with me that lasted longer than a few days. He’s never worked or stayed with anyone this long before, or made a home for himself. To have his own room on our ship is a big step. I see a lot of him in you. That is all.” Jet pats Juno’s shoulder and gets up to walk away.

Juno is left staring out the window and up at Jupiter to ponder his words. He willfully ignores the double entendre in Jet’s speech in favor of thinking about how far he’s come since he first met Rex Glass. He’s been recovering from a lot of stuff. Not just recent events, but childhood trauma and bad relationships and self-hatred, too. The road to that recovery would never have started if luck or fate or whatever hadn’t brought him and Rex together.

None of that changes anything now, of course, but a little introspection apparently does Juno some good. He sits there for a while yet, enjoying the view and the fact that he’s not actually getting shaky from the height anymore. It’s just more progress for him. Eventually Rita joins him for a bit and coerces him into playing a game on her comms before he retires back to his bedroom for a catnap.

Rex isn’t there when he gets back. He didn’t tell anyone he was leaving, so he’s probably around the suite somewhere. It doesn’t worry Juno as he climbs under the covers and closes his eyes. He falls asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Juno wakes up some time later, to Rex Glass shoving him unceremoniously out of bed. “Ow!” Juno shouts, “What the hell was that for, I haven’t done anything!”

“Nothing personal, Juno, but you weren’t waking up and I need this room to get ready. Go eat something and let Rita dress you up for tonight,” Rex says, carefully remaking the bed after dumping Juno onto the floor. 

Juno sits up and rubs his eye. “We just had breakfast.”

Rex shakes his head, having finished making the bed and now drawing the curtains closed. “We had breakfast almost 7 hours ago. You had quite the catnap.” Well that explains how groggy Juno feels then.

“Alright, alright. And why am I getting kicked out if I gotta get ready?” he asks, pulling a shirt over his head. _Does Rex not want me to see him until he’s ready or something?_

“Because Rita and Vespa want to do your make up, and you know we can’t say no to either of them,” Rex says simply, handing Juno his garment bag and a smaller bag filled with shoes and accessories. “Now shoo!” And just like that, Juno is swept out of their room into Rita’s waiting arms.

Vespa and Rita are a whirlwind. Juno feels like he’s been sitting still for hours, and all the while the two of them are flitting around him applying god knows what kind of make up. They didn’t give him a mirror, so when they finally finish up and leave the room to let him change in privacy he goes into Rita’s bathroom for a peak.

He looks… pretty good, actually. They curled his hair and dusted it with some kind of bronze powder that matches the color of his outfit. He feels like they were putting way too much make up on him, but everything is subtle and bold at the same time. They even shaved his five o’clock shadow, which he wasn’t too happy about, but he has to admit he looks nice.

Putting the outfit Rex designed for him on again is an experience. It really is a gorgeous piece of clothing. Juno would never even consider trying something like this on by himself, but Rex really knew what would accentuate Juno’s features without making him uncomfortable about it. Well, he’s still not comfortable wearing something this nice, but Juno recognizes that particular insecurity has more to do with himself than his attire.

He laces up the shoes and puts on the jewelry Rex also provided him. He twitches a little at the memory of how he got all this, but Juno doesn’t let himself wallow in it for long. It’s not relevant, not anymore, even though it still makes him ache at the thought of their argument. So much bad blood between them and now it’s been swept under the rug.

Tonight will be the real test. So far falling back into the shoes of Detective Steel and Rex Glass has worked pretty well. Juno only slipped up once, while they were taking a break from dancing lessons yesterday, and he doesn’t think Rex noticed. They’re friends again, with almost the same dynamic. Juno is overjoyed to be spending time with him like this again, but such a large chunk of their relationship is missing. He cut that hole himself, but it still hurts to look at it and know exactly what used to be there. But tonight, they will go out and enjoy themselves on this fancy fake date, maintain their cover, and try to have a good time. _Nothing will go wrong._ Juno repeats this to himself in an effort to remain calm before there’s a knock on the door.

Juno takes a calming breath, double checks that everything he’s wearing is in place, and opens the door. Rex is standing on the other side with an arm poised to knock again looking more radiant than he ever has before. His outfit stays true to the design they’d discuss a couple days ago, but it’s a different experience entirely to actually see him wearing it. The blue fabric of the shirt, if you can even call it that, is translucent and shimmery, almost exactly like the surface of the moon they’re on. It exposes his collarbones and slender torso in a way that makes Juno feel like he has to avert his gaze a little. The slacks he’s wearing are a much darker shade of blue, almost black but deep enough that they remind Juno of what the midnight sky on Mars looks like. The night sky was never truly black there, not the way space really is.

He’s stunning. Juno allows himself to drink in the sight of him for just a moment. Everything is immaculate, the presentation and the make up, the way Rex usually does it when he dresses up, except for his hair. Rex’s hair, usually slicked back with only a carefully styled tuft at the front, is unruly. Even his bedhead is more tame than this. His hair is wavy and pulled back loosely with small, diamond-studded clips. Juno assumes that they’re diamonds, at least. Rex isn’t one to cut corners when it comes to something like this, especially with how much he spent on what Juno is wearing.

Rex is giving Juno the same look he assumes that he’s giving Rex right now. Oh. That’s right; Rex never got to see Juno wear this at the shop, and he hasn’t put it on again until just now. All he’s probably had is a design on paper that he drew himself and then sent along to Alex and Adam, the tailors.

Juno takes a look at the bathroom mirror behind him so that he can see them together. Even though the coppery-bronze of his attire was meant to go with the dark green of Jet’s suit, it doesn’t clash with the collection of deep blues that Rex is wearing. They both shimmer, even in the terrible lighting of the bathroom. They’ll certainly stand out tonight, no matter what the rest of the guests are wearing.

“You…” Rex starts, but trails off. He doesn’t seem to notice that he hasn’t finished his thought. His eyes still wander over the sheer fabric that cover Juno’s arms and the capelet that accentuates his legs. 

Juno thinks he knows what he’s trying to say, though. “You look great too, Rex,” he says, a little nervously.

He laughs, and pulls his arm out from behind his back. In his hand, he’s clutching a finely wrapped fist-sized box. It looks like it could be more jewelry, which confuses Juno because he’s already wearing more than enough. It’s certainly not a ring, but he can’t help but wonder since it is that size. Juno’s heart seizes as he takes the gift. “Glass, you’ve already gotten me more than enough things to wear tonight.”

“I know,” he shrugs, “But I had this made for you too. It took longer than everything else due to the nature of my request.” Okay, that can’t mean anything good. But Juno wills himself to trust the man in front of him and opens the box. Inside is no ring or other piece of jewelry. Something is wrapped in a velvet cloth the matches the box’s interior. Juno glances at Rex, who is actually _fidgeting_ of all things, and carefully unwraps it. He gasps.

It’s an eyepath, but it’s not like one he’s ever seen before. It’s impossibly soft and somehow sculpted so that it can stay on without a strap. The base color of the outer side is black and the lining that presses against skin is a deep purple color. The outside isn’t plain, however. It’s covered in embroidered flowers. They’re done in metallic thread, not just in bronze colors but also silvers and golds. It’ll match what he’s wearing tonight, sure, but it’s clearly intended for everyday use as well.

Another gift of roses and dahlias. Juno's heart soars.

Juno wordlessly pulls the simple black eyepatch he’s currently wearing off his head and lays it on a desk in Rita’s room. He turns back to Rex and hands his precious gift back to him. “Can you… put it on for me?”

“Of course,” he says softly and takes it from him. Juno stands as still as possible and stares up at Rex with his good eye while he affixes the eyepatch over his scarred socket. Rex’s brow is furrowed in concentration and seemingly doesn’t notice the intensity with which Juno is studying his face. They’re going to be in closer proximity than this all night and Juno doesn’t know if he’ll be able to keep his cool with Rex looking like he does tonight.

Rex steps back smiles wide. “You look even better in it than I thought you would. It would be an honor to escort you to this evening’s gala, milday,” he declares, offering the crook of his arm to Juno. Juno loops his arm through Rex’s and smiles. The eyepatch is comfortable, and it’s nice not to feel that strap around his head anymore.

“The honor would be mine, good sir.” They chuckle, and make their way into the living room that still has a working TV. The other one, the one that they’d been using for dance practice the last few days, is still a complete mess. Buddy, Vespa, and Rita are already curled up on the massive couch surrounded by snacks. Jet stands by the elevator doors wearing his green suit, ready to chauffeur them to the gala. Juno and Rex will arrive with a chauffeur as Atreus Caelum and his bodyguard-and-not-so-secret-lover Ares, and are apparently expected to dance the whole night away with some of the Milky Way’s richest and therefore most corrupt citizens.

They aren’t pulling any heists tonight, but they have to cozy up with high society and conduct themselves well enough that the big pharmaceutical corporation responsible for debtors’ tags can justify inviting an outer rim heir like Atreus to their big charity event next month on Vali.

Juno and Rex bid their friends goodbye with Rita fawning minimally over how good her boss looks. Juno did have to remind her that they were on a schedule tonight, and Jet assured her that he would be back soon so that they could start their movie night. Jet quizzed Rex about his cover in the elevator, and soon Atreus and Ares were nicely seated in the back of the Ruby 7 together, with Jet posing as Icarus in the driver’s seat. Juno doesn’t think he hears him and Rex sneak chuckles about how his suit matches the car and how much he must love that particular shade of green. That, or Jet is choosing to ignore it for now so that he can defend himself later. He shouldn’t feel bad though; it really is a beautiful color.

Jet—Icarus—drops them off at the entrance to the tallest building in the city about half an hour later. It’s only a short five minute walk from their hotel, but appearances are important, so they sit in the procession of expensive cars waiting for their turn to be granted entry. There’s paparazzi everywhere at the front doors, snapping photos and pestering various guests for interviews. Lots of big names from around the galaxy are here tonight and thankfully Juno is unrecognizable amongst them. A couple people take pictures of him and Rex just because of what they’re wearing, but there isn’t any announcement of their alias’ names so no one knows who they’re supposed to be. 

Juno still doesn’t want his full face on display for the cameras, though, and Rex seems to pick up on that. He pulls himself into the character of Ares and becomes an overprotective but affectionate body guard. He seems to have a sixth sense as to when he’s being watched, and he’s always sure that the cameras never catch anything more than Juno’s profile.

Finally, they make it inside, and the sight is astounding.

Everything is decorated to accentuate the surface of the moon they are on. The gala is located in an atrium on the ground floor, but there’s no actual floor. They’re standing on the actual ground of Ganymede, carved and polished to be completely flat and shiny. It serves its purpose as a ballroom floor, yet maintains the moon’s aesthetic.

There is an open skylight above them. It is, however, located on the back side of the building, whose large stature completely blocks out the sight of Jupiter so that the only things visible in the sky are stars. They must cover this room when the moon is on its rotation on the other side of the planet, because several days of direct sunlight on a surface this reflective would be hell. Juno had noticed covers designed to block all windows while he’s been here, but it he didn’t realize exactly why until this exact moment.

Large crystalline chandeliers hang from the available ceiling space. Blown glass champagne flutes and other intricate cups are carried around on trays by immaculately dressed servers. Groups of finely dressed people flit about the room, some of them chatting by massive buffet tables or dancing in the middle of the floor to the music of a small ensemble orchestra or standing on one of the balconies above to just watch the festivities.

The view is breathtaking, and it stops Juno up short. Rex jerks to a stop beside him, their arms still linked together.

“Atreus, dear, we need to keep moving. You’re blocking the doorway!” He exclaims. Ah, so Ares is a dramatic one then. Wonderful. Rex is overexaggerating anyway. The entryway is large enough that a cruise ship would be able to fit through the doors, not that Juno has seen one of those outside of movies before. Still, Rex’s voice shocks him into movement.

They take a leisurely stroll around the room, grabbing a couple glasses of mixed drinks along the way. Juno would be perfectly fine just staying out of the way, but that’s not why they’re here. His own history with sulking at parties doesn’t get to rear its head tonight. Before they go out onto the dance floor, however, Juno pulls Rex up a grand staircase so that they can stand on a higher tier and observe the gala below. He’s already feeling a little overwhelmed, too.

“Give me just a moment, please. I’m afraid the drink has already gone to me head,” Juno says by way of excuse so that they can escape mingling with another couple on the stairs who tries to engage him about what he’s wearing. They move to follow him, but Rex firmly gets in the way.

“Come now, Ares!” Juno calls, already a few steps ahead, and Rex follows him up. The couple goes back to their conversation.

The upper tier is much less crowded, so they have relative privacy for conversation. Juno feels very visible and exposed on this balcony overlooking the ballroom floor, but he has to make sure the Kanagawas aren’t here. Or if they are, make sure that he finds a way to avoid them at all costs. Not only would they be able to destroy his cover, but Juno really just doesn’t want anything to do with them. Cassandra was okay, but apparently she doesn’t have much to do with her family since she’d left Mars. All that is second-hand information though.

Rex helps him look. They finish their drinks, and that’s when Juno feels Rex nudge his shoulder. Juno turns to see him subtly pointing at the newest entourage arriving below. Juno’s stomach sinks. It’s the Kanagawas, and they brought more people than usual this year. Cecil is at the head of the group, followed by a single cameraman, seven cousins and—Cassandra? That’s a surprise. At least Min isn’t with them.

Juno shifts and leans against the railing with posture nobody from Hyperion City would associate with Juno Steel. “Well, at least we know where they are. In ten minutes, Cecil will be too drunk to care if he sees me, but Cassandra might be a problem.”

Rex side-eyes Juno but goes back to surveilling the group. “She might be the least of our worries; her date might give you more trouble than anyone else.”

“Who is it?” Juno asks, not daring to even glance down at the group from the slight edge in Rex’s tone.

“What was her name again… Strong something…”

Juno gulps. “Alessandra?” This night keeps getting better and better. He never expected to see either of these two women again, and now they’re at the same place, _together_.

“Yes, that’s her name!” Rex turns back to Juno and grabs some champagne off a passing tray. He studies it as he swirls it in his hand. This gives Juno the chance to casually look down at the entrance again without drawing suspicion and sure enough: Alessandra and Cassandra are hand in hand, posing for the mob of paparazzi that swarmed the Kanagawa party as soon as they arrived.

They both look good. Healthy and happy, which is an emotion Juno doesn’t know if he’s ever seen on either of them. Who knows how they met, but he hopes they might be too absorbed with the press for a couple hours to even bother thinking about the possibility that Juno might be here. The last time either of them saw him, he was an entirely different person who’d never even considered moving into a better apartment, much less take to a life in the stars.

Juno hums and turns back to Rex, who’s managed to grab another flute of champagne for Juno. “Well. Guess I can’t postpone this any longer. Cheers?” Juno holds up his glass after Rex gives it to him.

“Cheers,” Rex responds and clinks his own glass against Juno’s. Both of them take a sip, sneak another glance at the dancers below, and promptly finish the rest of their drinks. Neither of them wants to be entirely sober for this, apparently. “Let’s dance.”

Juno takes his arm yet again and they make their way back down the stairs and to the edge of the ballroom floor where people are dancing. They make small talk with the high society members along the way, making sure to drop the name ‘Atreus Caelum’ as much as possible and avoiding the crowd surrounding the Kanagawas. So far so good, but now Juno has to dance.

He’s been practicing almost nonstop the last few days with Jet and Rex, who are old pros at using events like this for cover, but Juno spent most of that time relearning things Benzaiten had taught him so many years ago. It’s the thought of his brother that gives Juno enough to courage to take the first step out onto the crowded floor, with Rex only half a step behind him.

Thankfully, none of the music being played tonight is overly upbeat. No one is doing a foxtrot or running anyone else down, at least. Some couples are just swaying to the beat and making idle conversation, but the vast majority of dancers have obviously had some training. Juno is glad he and Rex practiced when Rex takes up his arms and they insert themselves amongst the other dancers.

After a few minutes, Juno relaxes into the motions. Rex is leading, and doing most of the work, but Juno still has to keep up with his perfect precision. But eventually he gets comfortable and just goes with it. _Ben would have the time of his life watching me dance like this._

“Well, dear, we do have to speak a little,” Rex says. He’s a foot taller than Juno and has to look down at him like this.

“About what?” Juno asks. They just have to be seen, right? They’ve made sure that Atreus Caelum has established himself here tonight, and now they have to dance for an hour or so to finish establishing their cover.

“All the other couples are chatting, either with themselves or passing dancers. Do you think you can do it?” Rex doesn’t mean it as an insult to Juno’s general dislike of prolonged small talk, but it takes a second for that to register in his head. Talking while dancing is very difficult technically for a beginner. Juno knows he can do it, though, he used to talk his brother’s ear off when Benten would ask him to practice with him. Something must have shown on his face at the thought of his brother because Rex frowns and asks, “Is everything alright?”

_Not everything._ Juno doesn’t say that though. He wants to enjoy tonight. “Yeah. I’m just thinking about my brother,” he says as Rex sweeps him around a bend. 

He looks a little guilty. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. We can talk about something else if you’d like, whatever you choose.” 

“No!” Juno says shortly, and a little louder than he intended. Rex’s grip on Juno’s hands loosens. “No,” he repeats more quietly, “it’s fine. He was a dancer, is all. He would have loved everything about this, especially that I’m dancing with someone that isn’t him, for once.” Juno chuckles and lets a fond smile creep onto his face. Talking about his brother used to bring him so much pain, and now that he can move past that to remember the good things too, it’s easier.

Rex pulls Juno a hair closer to avoid a pair of less experienced dancers moving too close to him from behind. They brush past without incident, and Juno only looses his footing slightly. “What was his name?” Rex knows better than to discuss personal matters out in public like this, especially given what happened at the tailors’ shop and the fact that they’re undercover, but right now the two of them are in a bubble. They’re dancing and moving through a crowd, but their hands are locked together and there’s no one else in the room.

“Benzaiten.” It’s been so long since Juno has spoken that name aloud to anyone else, years probably. “Benzaiten Steel. He probably would have been here tonight if he hadn’t…” Damn. Juno got pretty far on this topic without losing it, but here his voice chokes up. _If he hadn’t died._ Juno shakes his head in an effort to clear it, and by doing so messes up his hair that Rita and Vespa had so carefully pinned into place.

Rex reaches up to brush the curls back into place and pulls Juno into a hug. They slow down and take less measured steps, just swaying for a moment. Then the song ends and another, slightly faster one starts, and they’re back to practiced motions.

“I wish I’d gotten the chance to meet him. I’ve never had siblings, at least not that I can remember,” Rex says wistfully. He’s changing the topic to make Juno feel more comfortable, pulling the focus back onto himself.

“Tell me about Brahma.” It comes out like a command, and Juno instantly regrets it. This is Rex, and Juno is toeing the very line that he set up as his own boundary.

But Rex doesn’t seem to mind, or if he does then he just doesn’t show it. “I don’t actually remember that much, anymore. I left after we failed to take down New Kinshasa and I haven’t been back since. It’s the one place in the galaxy that I’m still recognizable. It’s such a beautiful planet, though. It’s like the whole thing is a beautifully curated garden. Brahman music is still my favorite, even though it’s been years since I last heard it.”

Rex talks about his home planet without any hesitation. It’s clear from the tone of his voice and how he goes on and on that despite all this time, he still loves it. There’s also sadness in his voice, too. It’s understandable: he tried to bring down the thing oppressing Brahma’s citizens and almost killed them in doing so. He might have done the right thing in the end, but that day still weighs heavily on him. Of that, Juno is probably more aware of than he himself is. 

“Would you want to go back? If you could, I mean.” Juno asks. He wants Rex to be happy, truly happy, and being back on Brahma might be the one thing that can do that. 

A shadow passes over Rex’s face. They keep dancing, but their movements are stiff and Juno is having a harder time following Rex’s lead. He takes a few minutes to think over his answer, but Juno can read that something is wrong. Not in the sense that he doesn’t want to talk about Brahma anymore, but something deeper. Finally, he responds. “I promised myself I would go back someday, when I found a way to take down New Kinshasa without hurting anyone. I’ve gotten close before but never… I want to go back, yes.”

It feels like there’s more he isn’t sharing with Juno, but Juno doesn’t want to pry for fear of Rex letting go of him entirely. Juno gives him a nod and a look that he hopes is more supportive than pitying, and they move in silence for a while longer.

When Juno feels Rex start to relax a little again, he decides that it’s his turn to change the topic to make them more comfortable. He asks the question that’s been floating around the back of his mind for the past few days. “So. Are you ever going to tell me how you met Jet?”

Rex laughs, and they twirl. “Ah yes, my favorite partner in crime. We’ve worked together several times in the past decade. We met when we both decided to steal the same jewels from a royal family on… Balobi? Yes, I think that was the planet. Making our escape proved quite difficult when we were fighting over which one of us got there first. Eventually we decided to split the reward. Honor amongst thieves, and all that. We kept in touch.” Rex shrugs at the last part.

Juno has observed how comfortable Rex and Jet have been in each other’s space, which is quite a feat considering what he knows about both of them. Neither are the type to share much, but they’re both obviously skilled thieves. It makes sense that they would have maintained contact if they needed help on a particularly difficult job.

“I know he’s been with Buddy and Vespa for years now. Did you meet them through him?”

“I’d never actually met those lovely ladies before we agreed to work together for this particular heist. I was supposed to join them for anther job several months ago but I, ah, may have missed me flight.”

Juno bursts out laughing as Rex spins him around a couple times. He feels light, and the world seems a lot smaller. “I believe I may have filled your spot on that one,” he says, mirth clear on his face.

Rex looks surprised. “Really? They persuaded _you_ , the steadfast detective, into helping with an illegal exchange?” 

“Yep. Jet picked me up in the desert after the thing with Pereyra’s Free Dome delusion and convinced me to help him and Buddy out. I got my eye removed in exchange, and after that is when everything with Jack—Ramses went down. We ended up getting Buddy back from that corporation we’re stealing from on Vali, but I’m pretty sure they filled you in on that part.”

There’s a lull in the music between songs, and Rex stops them up short. They’ll have a few minutes of rest before the next song starts. “I’m afraid I couldn’t follow half of what you just said. Remove your eye? Free Dome? Jack?”

Juno realizes he hasn’t shared any of this with him yet. Rex knows he stopped Ramses from doing something awful, but he hasn’t quite been filled in on any of the details. Juno hasn’t shared much of anything about what happened to him in the time since they’d last seen each other, and neither has Rex. Maybe they can share now.

So when the next song starts up, Juno gives Rex a watered down version of his past year. The things he’d done, the people he’d met, the plots that he’d foiled. Rex hangs on every word, and surprisingly enough, he tentatively shares the things that have happened to him too. 

He’d traveled a lot, mostly just between nearby solar system. He’d stolen, pawned, or traded a whole slew of goods: artwork, information, a perfectly presented croquembouche, cutting-edge tech, a horse, and even an outdated plane on Earth. That last one was what had made him miss his original flight to Mars. Apparently, he’d overestimated his ability to fly a plane based on his relative ease with the controls of a space ship. “The two are not at all as similar as I had hoped. That might have been my most daring escape yet!”

Hours later and with the earlier unease from conversation gone, Juno and Rex finally step off the ballroom floor in search of a drink. Caught up in the music and each other, neither of them notices when a tall woman bumps into Rex. It’s Alessandra.

Juno immediately turns his head and busies himself with smoothing out his capelet while Rex glares at her, embodying the persona of Ares fully. In hindsight, that really is an apt name for a bodyguard. Thankfully, she’d never met him before. 

“Oh, sorry about that. I’ve already had a few,” she says, smiling through the glass as she takes a sip of one of the drinks she’s holding. She doesn’t seem to care that Rex is being menacing. She’s probably used to bodyguards at this point if she’s been spending time with the Kanagawas.

Rex uses a scratchy voice coming from lower in his throat for Ares. “Please watch where you’re stepping. There are many high-priority personnel here this evening.”

Alessandra waves him off and begins making her way to a corner of the room where Cecil and Cassandra have been seated for an interview. She looks back over her shoulder and says, “Don’t I know it!” Cassandra catches sight of her returning and excitedly waves her over. Alessandra sits down near her, out of the camera’s way, and hands her the other drink.

Juno lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “We’re lucky she’s been drinking. She would have recognized me easily, even wearing something like this.”

Rex, having watched her go, turns back to Juno. “I’m glad she didn’t, although this might be the appropriate time to depart?” He phrases it like a question, but he looks just as tired as Juno feels. 

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Juno says and downs his last drink for the evening. He only feels a pleasant buzz, nowhere near drunk. They’ve been here for hours, and the fact that they’ve solidified their cover as Atreus Caelum and his bodyguard is well established as several guests wish them a good evening by name on the way out. All in all, the evening was a success, both with completing their mission and enjoying themselves in the process.

For all the fuss that was made for how guests arrived to the gala, nobody seemed to care how they left. Instead of calling Jet to pick them up, they opted just to walk back to the hotel. Even though it’ll only take them five minutes, both of them take of their heels to carry as soon as they get out onto the street.

They don’t say much on the way back, but Juno still has his arm linked through Rex’s all the way until they’re back in the hotel suite. Buddy, Vespa, and Rita are passed out on the couch, and Jet’s bedroom door is shut. Rex helps Juno tiptoe into their bedroom. He wants to just collapse on the bed and go to sleep right then and there. Rex won’t let him though. “Juno, you have to take you’re clothes off. Remember how much it cost!” Juno groans and starts to undo the clasps and zippers that hold it together.

After he fumbles a button one too many times, Rex comes to his rescue. Rex, having already escaped his own attire, helps Juno get everything off without ripping it. He hangs both their outfits up while Juno crawls into bed, not bothering with his PJs that are on the floor now. Rex does the same. The last thing Juno sees before he drifts off to sleep is Nureyev’s face, smiling softly at him like he hung all the stars in the sky that they danced under tonight from the other side of the bed.

…Damn it. Guess he did mess up his deal with Rex tonight after all. Oh well. Juno’s content, and that’s a feeling he hasn’t known for a very, very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, this fic is unbetaed! I do my best to edit and revise so that I can catch mistakes, but sometimes they slip through. Please don't judge me too harshly for it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all were super concerned about Cassandra and Alessandra omg. It was meant to be just a cameo but I decided to include some explanation of my hc where-they-are-now in this chapter for you. It makes the story more interesting anyway. This is kind of a transitional chapter before more shenanigans and before we dive deeper into more angst. :)  
> As always this, this fic is unbetaed and comments are greatly appreciated. A big thank you to everyone who has kept up with my rambling writing so far; I know I'm a mess and I'm so glad you're enjoying my work.
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> Every Day- Magic Man  
> High Dive- Andrew McMahon  
> Stonewallin'- Jane Decker

For the second time in the last 24 hours, Juno is rudely kicked out of bed. “Up you get Mista Steel! Mista Glass, you too!” Rita shouts as she yanks the covers off of them. Juno looks at the time on his charging comms and realizes he’s only slept for two and a half hours.

“Rita, let us sleep… We’ve been out all night…” Juno moans, burying his face in his pillow.

Rex sits up next to him and stretches, yawning wide. “I’m afraid we can’t do that, Juno. Ganymede is almost halfway around Jupiter, which means the Sun will be coming up soon. We don’t want to be here when that happens.” Oh yeah. Juno vaguely remembers Buddy mentioning that at some point, but he probably wasn’t paying close enough attention.

“Yeah! What he said! So get your ass out of bed and get packed, we’re leaving in thirty minutes.” Rita bounces back out of the room with too much energy for someone who slept on a couch last night.

“Let’s get to it then,” Rex says, pulling on some pants and walking to the bathroom.

Juno groans into his pillow one last time before dragging himself out of bed to start stuffing his duffel bag.

A little over half an hour later, the hotel penthouse has been swept clean, all the furniture is moved back into place, and everyone stands in the hallway with their bags waiting for the elevator to pick them up. The only person not tired for some reason is Rita, who is more used to late night movie marathons than anyone else. Even Jet looks bedraggled, which Juno wasn’t sure was even possible until now.

The drive back to the ship is uneventful, and Juno makes a valiant effort to remain calm during the take off sequence. It’s less bumpy here than on Mars because gravity is so different, but then they have to navigate those ridiculous gravitational fluctuations again and Rita wordlessly hands him a bag to throw up in. Vespa assures him space-sickness gets better over time but that’s a little difficult for Juno to believe at the moment.

Several other ships take off with them from their crowded docking garage, but once they break the moon’s atmosphere they disperse in all directions. When the ride finally gets less bumpy and Ganymede is just a glistening speck in the background, Buddy finally announces that the inertial dampeners have bene disengaged and everyone can go back to bed. 

Juno takes off for his room with as much haste as he can muster given his exhaustion and nausea. Coming back to the ship already felt a little bit like coming home, and so does dumping his duffel bag on the floor and diving into his own bed for more sleep. They’ve got a much longer journey ahead of them this time, so maybe this time he can sleep in a little. He remembers to lock the door, as least, so an interruption is less likely. And then he’s out like a light.

* * *

_Juno is lucid in his dream, for once. The sensation of running without any control over his own body, being haunted by his experience with the Theia Soul, is gone. He’s still hanging off the edge of that precipice, with Rex—no, Nureyev—standing over him, a malicious grin plastered on his face._

_Juno knows he’s earned whatever treatment he gets next. He broke this man’s heart and, more importantly, stole his trust. Spending time with him in the real world is more than Juno had ever hoped to get again, but here inside his head there is still a version of Nureyev that hates him as much as the real one is supposed to._

_Why doesn’t the real Nureyev hate him? He should. Juno supposes he hates himself enough for the both of them._

_“Nureyev…” Juno weakly croaks out, trying to get a better grip on the ledge. “Let me up. I know I don’t deserve it but please, help me.” He’s never once asked for help when he really needs it. He’s changed. Maybe that’s why the real Nureyev doesn’t hate him like this one does; he knows that Juno is doing better._

_But this Nureyev doesn’t say anything. He smiles, and crouches down close to Juno. He can’t quite reach his face, but Juno is overwhelmed by the smell of him and feel of his breath all the same. His lips are moving but Juno can’t hear him say anything. It’s like he’s muted through a door or shouting from a distance. The only thing Juno catches is his own name, before Nureyev reaches a hand down to him—_

* * *

This is the first time Juno has been startled out of that weird dreamscape instead of suffering through it the whole time. He isn’t in a cold sweat, and no panic attack has him yet, so he’ll count it as a win. The dream was very different this time around, though, and Juno doesn’t quite know what to make of it. He’s never been one to put too much stock into what his dreams or subconscious or whatever is trying to tell him, but feeling like he’s back under the control of the Theia has been shaking him to his core, and this break from the pattern worries him even more.

He can’t tell what woke him up, though. No one is at the door, and the clock on his nightstand says that he’s been asleep for almost ten hours. That’s a record for being on this ship. With a big sigh and a stretch, Juno tumbles out of bed and goes across the hall to shower. For the first time since he got here, he leaves Nureyev’s classical music on over the bathroom speakers.

It’s actually kind of relaxing to have something playing in the background to mingle with the white noise of the shower. It gives him room to think, and force his brain back into the habit of calling Nureyev Rex again. He hates having to keep up the façade of only being disgruntled friends when they both know that they mean so much more to each other. Right now, standing by himself and reflecting on how wonderful their evening together at the gala was, Juno feels a familiar, deep-rooted anger at himself and at Rex for not being able to just move on.

It’s never that simple, but sometimes Juno can’t remember why they’re acting like this. It feels childish, but to stray from this path means being overwhelmed by his emotions, and that’s not good for either of them. One day, maybe soon or maybe years from now, they’ll be able to be themselves again, whether in love or not, but Juno can’t see that day coming. Belatedly, he realizes he’s crying and that it’s not just shower water running down his face.

Juno pounds the wall once with his fist and winces, hoping that Rex didn’t hear it. It’s his cue to exit the shower, at least. When he gets back to his room, his comms unit is blinking to indicate that he has a new message. Well, that explains what woke him up. He missed a call and in the time it took him to leave the room the caller left a message.

But that doesn’t make sense. It’s a new comms unit, everyone who has this number is either on this ship or Mick, and Mick prefers texting when he wants to talk to Juno. He checks the caller ID and blanches. The name “Alessandra Strong’ flashes across his screen next to his voicemail icon. Maybe their cover was blown at the gala after all. He opens the message and lets it play.

_Hey Steel. I uh… Well I haven’t seen you in a while, and to be completely honest I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. I thought you died in the desert, so imagine my surprise to see you at the gala last night, hanging on the arm of probably the prettiest guy I’ve ever seen. Give me a call back when you wake up, would you? We’ve got some stuff to talk about._

Juno fills with dread. She’d pegged him immediately and played it off like nothing was happening, which meant that she probably hadn’t told the Kanagawas. Probably. If he calls back, at least he’ll figure out why she’s even with them in the first place. Wasn’t she getting married or something? He hopes Cassandra isn’t her fiancé, although it would make a certain kind of sense.

He double checks that his door is locked, sits back down on the bed, and calls Alessandra. She picks up immediately. “Strong speaking.” Damn, it’s good to hear her voice though.

“Yeah, hey. It’s me. Sorry I missed your call earlier.”

“Steel? I wasn’t sure at the gala but that really is you. Wow, you finally managed to get off Mars, huh?”

Juno chuckles, not sure if he’s comfortable with how relaxed she is. “Yeah, I am. It took a while but after the whole… mayor thing…” He doesn’t actually know if there’s an official name for the scandal; he tried so hard to avoid newscasts when Rita wasn’t around, “I needed a change. A friend offered me a job traveling.” That’s a light way to put the fact that he joined a crime crew.

Alessandra audibly perks up a little at that. “Oh yeah? Is that the same friend you were with at the gala? He was quite the looker.”

“No he didn’t invite me, one of his buddies did. Neither of us expected to see each other and we’re only just getting the hang of working together again.”

“Again?” Alessandra asks, curious. Juno gulps

“We’ve worked together before and it… it didn’t end well, okay.”

She goes quiet for a second and then says, “It’s him, isn’t it?”

Juno thinks he knows what she means but he really doesn’t want to admit it. Maybe she’ll drop it if he acts oblivious. “What do you mean, ‘him’? I don’t actually know him all that well.” He’s not technically lying. He and Rex may have a ridiculous history but they haven’t actually spent that much time together. A few weeks, all in all.

Sadly, Alessandra doesn’t let him get away with it. “When we first met, we almost. Well, you know. But you decided not to and when I asked why not you said there was someone else. He’s someone else, isn’t he.” This time the last part wasn’t a question. Juno’s gotten too easy for her to read. Either that or he’s way more obvious with his emotions than he thought. Maybe he’d been a little drunk at the gala after all.

Hearing her talking about Rex like that brings back all the emotions he’d felt in that car. The betrayal of having kissed someone else when they weren’t even together. Feeling like a traitor to himself. It was a hint of what was to come, and Juno doesn’t know how he’d managed to keep himself together that night. He’d felt like he was falling apart when he’d gone back to his apartment and the last shreds of his cologne were just barely clinging to his couch.

There’s nothing for it but to admit she’s right. He doesn’t say anything though, which apparently is answer enough for her. “I’m sorry, Steel, I shouldn’t have said anything. You weren’t being _that_ obvious about it, but I could just tell. He means a lot to you. We didn’t really have anything to begin with.” She’s consoling him over the wrong thing, but the sentiment is still there.

Juno still doesn’t like where this is going, though. He changes the topic. “So, what about you? I thought you were off getting married. What were you doing with the Kanagawas at the gala?”

“Oh, they’re paying for the wedding,” Alessandra says nonchalantly.

“Oh,” Juno echoes back at her. Maybe Cassandra is her fiancé after all.

“I can practically hear the gears in your head turning, and I promise it’s not what you think. It seems they’re on bad terms with their favorite PI and needed someone to step in. Turns getting favors from rich people is a lot of fun. They’re not all that bad, if you get Cecil in small doses. Plus, Cassandra and I are kind of friends now. Last night was my stag party.”

It makes a certain amount of sense in Juno’s mind when she puts it like that. He became friends with them in a very similar way, once upon a time. “So Cassandra isn’t your fiancé?” He has to make sure.

“Oh god no. She is one of my bridesmaids, though. And my fiancé is a historian for interplanetary relations, so she’s been helping Cass out with her new documentary series.” So Cassandra finally got what she’d been dreaming about. Good for her.

Still, Juno is relieved she isn’t marrying into that family. Sooner or later they’d tear her apart like they do everything else. “Well, in that case, I hope your wedding goes well and that you don’t wind up dead. Hell of a bachelorette party though.”

Alessandra laughs. “I’ll say. I spent most of my time getting drinks for Cassandra or smiling for photos. Everyone thought we were together since I came as her date but I actually had a really good time.” Juno’s glad to hear that. But then comes the dreaded question: “Steel, what were you doing at the gala? You weren’t using your real name so I’m assuming you’re undercover, at least.”

“Yeah, I am. Look Strong, I can’t tell you any of the details, but I’m doing good work here.” Juno hopes desperately she’ll believe that.

“Good work for other people or good work for you?” That’s the real question, isn’t it. For once, Juno can say it isn’t just good for people other than him. He’s doing this for himself as much as for the literal millions of lives they’ll be saving, and it’s not just about the money.

“Both,” he says confidently, feeling like he’s come to some sort of revelation.

He can actually hear Alessandra smiling in the next thing she says. “That’s good to hear, Steel. Don’t worry, I’m not going to blow your cover. Just promise you’ll call every once in a while, especially if you need help.”

Now that is something Juno will definitely consider. He smiles too. “Will do, Strong. Have a really great wedding, will ya?”

“Yeah, it’s gonna be fantastic, even with the camera crews in attendance. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye,” Juno says awkwardly, and they hang up. That went better than expected, even if he does have to tell the rest of the crew that she recognized him. He doesn’t think she’ll tell anyone, though. She’s a woman of her word. He just hopes Buddy will trust him enough to believe that too.

He checks the ship’s time: it’s a little past noon. Juno’s stomach growls. Time for food, then. Hopefully there will be something in the fridge Juno can heat up so he doesn’t have to eat any more of that ridiculous fruit Jet seems to like so much or, god forbid, have to make something from scratch. He hates cooking.

Rex apparently has the same idea as him, because when Juno’s door shuts and he’s a few steps down the hallway the door to Rex’s room opens. He smiles brightly when he sees Juno and it’s like the Sun rose in the blackness of Space. It burns Juno just as much. He smiles back and waits for Rex to catch up to him. “G’morning,” Juno says, “You hungry too?”

“Absolutely starving. I didn’t know how tired I was,” Rex replies with a yawn, and stretches his long arms wide. They make their way through the ship to the kitchen. Thankfully, there’s what looks like leftover breakfast in the fridge. It smells like Buddy’s cooking, which both of them are thankful for.

Juno decides to jump right into the predicament from this morning. He doesn’t know how to talk about it but he promised himself he would be entirely honest with the crew from now on so he speaks without warning. “Alessandra called me this morning.”

Rex chokes on his food. He coughs for a few moments before righting himself and glaring at Juno. “What? Don’t tell me our cover is blown.”

Juno shakes his head. “She hasn’t told the Kanagawas and she promised me she would keep it a secret. I trust her.” It’s the truth.

“I don’t trust anyone,” comes Rex’s response. He wipes his mouth and continues eating. Juno feels his words dig their way under his skin. _How many times will I have to hear him say that?_ Juno carefully schools his expression into something that won’t give away how much that statement actually hurts. He’s gotten a lot of practice at hiding his feelings from Rex, otherwise they’d neve be able to get through a single conversation. Juno promised himself he’d be honest with everyone, but that doesn’t include sharing his feelings. That would only end in more misery.

“I promise she won’t blow our cover. Besides, she’s got a wedding to plan for. She’ll be too busy to interfere with the job even if she wanted to.”

“A wedding,” Rex repeats.

Juno catches his drift immediately and laughs. “Don’t worry, it’s not to Cassandra. I was worried about that too, but she’s got more taste than that. Apparently she did replace me as the Kanagawas’ go-to investigator though.” Juno feels a little bad for her in that regard, but he’s a little relieved too. Hopefully this means that he’s off the hook with them, at least for the time being.

“That doesn’t strike me as necessarily being a good thing.”

“Eh, it had its perks. She’s smart enough not to get too deep. That was the mistake I made.”

“One of these days you’ll have to tell me more about your time as their liaison. You’re still alive, so you must have at least some interesting stories,” Rex teases, finishing off his meal.

Juno, already done eating and already cleaning off his plate, responds in the same manner, “You’ll have to take me dancing again, then.”

He has his back turned to Rex right now, but he can almost feel him looking at him. “That I will,” he says softly, and joins him at the sink to wash off his own dish. They stand there in comfortable silence, washing the rest of the dirty dishes that have piled up while they were asleep. It’s delightfully domestic, but Juno keeps himself from fantasizing about other domestic things they could be doing.

They’re almost done when Vespa and Jet enter the kitchen from the hallway that leads to the bridge. Vespa is gesturing wildly to Jet, who actually seems to be laughing at whatever joke she’s telling. She stops when she sees Rex and Juno washing up. “Oh, welcome back to the land of the living, you two! You must have been really tired after the gala.”

“Most definitely,” Rex says, wiping off the last plate and putting it in its place.

Juno grunts in affirmation.

The two of them grab lunch, the appropriate meal for the time of day, and head back up to the cockpit with an extra meal in tow for Buddy. Rex shoots Juno a knowing look and he sighs. Better get this over with sooner rather than later. Juno sheepishly follows them onto the bridge and explains his phone call this morning. Jet looks resigned and Vespa doesn’t seem to care that much, but Buddy is a little upset.

“Really? You bumped into someone who recognized you _on the way out the door?!_ Only you…” Buddy exclaims, although she doesn’t do more than lean far back into her seat. “Do you trust her?” she asks.

Juno nods. “With my life. If she says she’ll keep a secret then she’ll keep it. I don’t think she much cares what I do anymore, unless it affects her new bosses.”

“And they are?”

“The Kanagawas.”

“ _What_ ,” Vespa says incredulously, “The Kanagawas? As in the richest family and some of the most well-known mobsters in the galaxy?”

Juno nods again. “Yep. Although they don’t want anything to do with me anyway. Jet, you did a bunch of research on me for Buddy right? Do you think maybe Vespa could take a look at that?”

“Of course,” Jet responds. “I have several files on Juno’s past. All of it is information available to the public if people just go looking, of course. None of your personal life is documented on paper,” he directs this last bit to Juno, who tensed at the idea that someone had biographed his entire life story. But that also means the file isn’t all the information Jet has, because he certainly knows a fair bit about Juno’s life.

“So you actually know the Kanagwas,” Vespa says.

“Yes. Long story short I used to be friends with Cassandra and I kind of saved Cecil’s life once. Maybe a couple times. It’s all in Jet’s research, probably.” Juno waves his hand around in the air as he talks. He’s not used to having to explain his involvement with the most powerful crime family on Mars. No one in Hyperion City is stupid enough to ask about Kanagawa affairs with the threat of being ‘invited’ to be on one of Cecil’s game shows hanging over their heads.

“Well, that’s settled then. No harm, no foul.” Buddy claps her hands together and leans in close to Juno, the fact that their cover was almost blown already seemingly forgotten. “I didn’t get a chance to look at it last night, but that new eyepatch suits you well.”

New eyepatch? Oh, Juno had completely forgotten. He’s still wearing the embroidered eyepatch that Rex gave him last night. It’s so comfortable that he forgot he was even wearing it, and since it doesn’t have a strap it hasn’t been making his head hurt at all. “Thanks. Rex really outdid himself.”

“I’ll say,” came Vespa’s response. Jet hums in agreement.

They talk a little bit more about what happened at the gala, but Juno glosses over the conversations he and Rex had while they were dancing. They were too personal to share with anyone else. Buddy is satisfied with their performance and Jet admits that he had a much better time watching a marathon with Rita than he would have had at the gala. Juno doesn’t take that personally; he understands. Vespa leaves to set up proxy notifications for Atreus Caelum’s accounts so that she and Rita can hijack any message sent to his contact information. She’ll send everything except the stuff pertaining to the crew’s mission along to the real Atreus with only a short delay.

With that settled, Juno leaves them to their devices. They have about a month until they arrive at Vali, and only have a few pitstops in between, so everyone has time to get nice and cozy with each other before then. It also means Juno has a break before preparing to go undercover again and after the whirlwind events of this week he definitely needs one.

He doesn’t feel like going back to his room, though. He didn’t bring much to do and he’s not tired enough to back to sleep. Instead, he heads for the narrow spiral staircase in the back of the hanger bay. The navigation deck is empty like it was the last time he came up here, although the cushion arrangement has been shifted somewhat. Juno rearranges them so that he has a comfortable bedding to lie down on and gazes up at the stars above him. He can still see Jupiter. The planet is much smaller and farther in the distance now, but Juno can still recognize that it’s Jupiter even without being able to see its banding.

According to the navigational computer on the wall, they won’t be passing any other planets in this solar system on their trip out of it. It’s a shame, really. Apparently Neptune is supposed to be stunning up close. Juno doesn’t know too much about planets outside of the Sun’s orbit, but after what he’s already seen of other worlds, he’s looking forward to seeing more.

Looking up and out at the space surrounding the ship, Juno feels small. Not in the sense that he’s insignificant, more like he’s been put in his place. But that’s not a bad thing. It’s actually kind of nice to have a reason not to feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. Everyone feels small in a place like Hyperion City. The bustling of a crowded city can make even the rich and famous feel like just a blip on the map. 

Juno used to feel that way too, but that changed after he saved the planet. Twice. It’s hard to feel small in city surrounded by people who wouldn’t be there if not for him. He doesn’t want to feel important, to feel that kind of responsibility. It’s a lot more than Juno can handle. It’s part of the reason he decided to leave. 

Joining a gang of criminals was hardly a solid solution, but what came with it has done wonders for him. Especially since this view of the stars happened to be accompanied by a certain someone he thought he’d never see again. The universe has been through so much more than Juno has, and it’s still here, even if it looks a hell of a lot different than it did thousands of years ago. It’s survived and adapted, and Juno has to. He’s still doing it.

He just hopes that he can repair this thing between him and Rex. Nureyev. _Peter_ , his brain supplies. The night they spent at the gala, everything they shared with each other, it’s proof that this thing they have is salvageable. It’s broken and needs some help, but so was Juno for a really long time. They’ll get there. It won’t be what it used to be, but it’ll be something new. Something better and stronger.

For now, though, it’s broken into tiny pieces of glass that all cut into Juno every time he thinks about Nureyev, like so many daggers through his heart. He wonders if Nureyev feels them too, or if he’s digging them further into Juno’s skin to protect his own. Juno finds that he doesn’t much care which of those it is. He’s got him back in his life, and he doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Juno will keep working on making amends, taking tiny steps one by one back into his confidence and hopefully also his arms, no matter how much it burns to do so.

At some point, Rita joins Juno in the observatory. He doesn’t hear her come in, but she settles down in the cushions right next to him after dropping another blanket on him. For once, she doesn’t say anything. No doubt she has a million questions about the gala and what it was like and if anything happened with Rex. She’s always been able to read him like a book, though, so she just starts pointing out constellations and spews random facts about the far-off stars and planets and nebulae and everything else she’s been reading about lately. It’s a nice way to spend the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, this isn't really relevant, but I managed to get tickets to this year's liveshow in Boston! I'm super excited to see Train From Nowhere live and experience emotions in a crowd lmao.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello travelers! I know this update is coming out a week late, and I'm so very sorry about that but I spent all of last week setting up my new apartment! I posted about a month ago that I wouldn't be able to maintain a regular update schedule and while I've been trying my hardest to post every other week, sometimes it just doesn't work out like that. Thank you for your patience!  
> This chapter signifies a change of pace, if anyone wants to be prepared for that. Up until now, roughly two weeks has passed in my fic. This chapter speeds things up as I'm a little over halfway through my beats and maintaining that pacing would have tripled the length of this fic. Thank you for bearing with me as I settle back into my ability to write fiction; this has been kind of a difficult journey for me but I cannot express how happy it makes me that others enjoy my story (even if it does digress a little from the romance at times).
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> Magnolia- Taylor Eigsti , Becca Stevens  
> Hidden Away- Josh Groban

The crew settles in for a long month in space. Juno spends a decent amount of time in the navigations room, joined by Rita or Jet or the both of them. They do their best to teach Juno about the stars, and he retains as much as he can, although it’s not as much as he would have liked. Mostly, he fixates on the details about how dangerous some things are. Learning about what would happen to everyone if there was a hull breach isn’t exactly a pleasant experience when he’s sitting in a room made almost entirely of glass.

Juno also finally learns his way around the ship without having to refer to his comms unit every time he leaves a room. Vespa shows him how to access the computer systems onboard the ship and gives him permission to peruse her digital library. She has quite the collection of books, and Juno really does start to read one before getting distracted. He keeps meaning to go back to it at some point, but watching Buddy try to teach Rex how to properly cook proves to be a much more entertaining pastime.

“Damn it, Glass, you’re burning it again!” Buddy shoves him out of the way of the stove, not unkindly. 

Rex gets out of her way hastily, this being the third time he’s attempted to sauté something only to almost set it on fire. Open flame in a pressurized shuttle hurtling through open space isn’t exactly safe. “Sorry, sorry,” he apologizes profusely. “I don’t understand why I’m so bad at this.”

“Maybe the food doesn’t like you,” Juno says from his seat at the counter. Rex shoots him a glare and Buddy laughs.

“Jeez, even our resident detective here is better cook than you,” she teases, salvaging as much of the meal as she can.

“Hey!” Juno exclaims, a little offended. He knows he isn’t the best cook in the world, but for once he isn’t the worst cook in the room. He had no idea that with all of Rex’s many skills that cooking wouldn’t be one of them. Buddy’s comment is enough to let Rex reclaim a modicum of pride and he sends a smirk Juno’s way when Buddy turns her back.

Juno sticks around for a little longer, hungry enough at the moment to eat whatever it is that Rex has burned. It doesn’t taste half bad, even if it is a little crispy, but he has a sneaking suspicion that Buddy’s superiority in the kitchen is what made the food palatable. After this mess, she decides to show them where she and Vespa hide their booze.

They don’t keep any around the ship in public spaces out of courtesy for Jet, but apparently with Rita around Buddy had to get extra creative with hiding things she doesn’t want found. On pain of extra ship maintenance chores, she swore Juno and Rex to secrecy, and pours them each a drink. Juno still much prefers the Martian bourbon he brought with him, but since he’s trying to ration it, regular whisky amongst friends is also pretty good.

Game night is also a thing, now. Juno hadn’t known that regular board games still existed. It seems like everything is digital these days, but Vespa is somewhat of a collector when it comes to old Earth artifacts, and even Rex has some games of his own to supply. So almost every night, a game or two is played before Rita commandeers the TV screen in the living room.

Monopoly is a favorite of Rita’s because she always wins, Jet and Buddy like Backgammon, Vespa is a fan of Sorry, and Rex still seems to prefer card games. Juno doesn’t really have a favorite. He’s never even heard of most of these games. Tonight, they’re playing something called Twister.

Twister, as it turns out, is an awful game.

Juno plays exactly one round before appointing himself the permanent controller of the spinner. It’s not that he was bad at the game per se, but there were complications that it made it difficult. He ended up being smooshed between Jet and Rex, the latter of which ended up falling on him and leaving Jet as the victor. Juno tried desperately to look anywhere else than up at the man currently situated on top of his body, desperately hoping the heat on his face wasn’t visible.

Rex definitely blushed a little though, and there was a momentary pause where he caught his breath before getting off of him. His body heat lingers on Juno’s stomach, though, and that’s when Juno decides to sit the rest of this out, before _other_ compromising situations could arise. Watching Rex bend over backwards, sometimes even literally, isn’t exactly helping in that regard, but at least Juno isn’t pressed up against him like in the first round.

Surprisingly, Jet is very good at Twister. He wins almost every round, with Rex or Vespa typically coming in second. Rita has the worst luck when it comes to spins, and Buddy finds the whole affair to be hilarious. She probably brought this game out specifically to let out some laughs.

Everyone does have a good time, even if it is extremely chaotic. When they get tired of playing, Rita queues up whatever movie Vespa and Buddy picked out for the evening while Rex cleans up. Jet and Juno are delegated to snack duty and are asked not to let Rex help out with that. Rex pouts dramatically but can’t maintain the annoyed façade for long. By now everyone on the ship has been duped into tasting his cooking at least once so they’re all in on the joke.

Over the course of their time on the ship, a sort of unspoken seating arrangement has been produced during movie time. Buddy, Vespa, and Rita sit on the biggest couch in the center of the room, with Jet on the floor at their feet. Sometimes he’s in the single chair a little to the right, but he prefers sitting center-screen by the table where the food is. 

Rex and Juno take the smaller couch and end of hogging the all the pillows that are eventually thrown at them throughout the film. They like to make comments about the movie or witty remarks to the room, which Buddy usually thinks is funny, but Vespa and Rita most certainly do not. They don’t get upset or anything, but it’s an excuse to tease and neither of them tend to pass up on that when it comes to Rex and Juno.

This is how time passes on the ship, for the most part. Buddy, Vespa, and Jet all take turns flying, but the ship mostly manages navigation on autopilot. It’s not exactly like there’s a lot of stuff to avoid out here in space, so they just check up on the system and make sure everything is running smoothly.

Everyone helps when maintenance is needed, but they don’t really need to do much. The ship is in pretty good condition, considering none of them are professional mechanics. Rita is on track to becoming one, though. After Vespa and Jet gave her a rundown on the ship’s software and how everything operates, she took it upon herself to learn even more. Buddy eventually gave her unrestricted access to the engineering level with the promise that Rita would ask for permission if she did anything other than study the systems.

A few days after their second pitstop on a planet called Karne, Rita asks Buddy over breakfast if she can try to find a way to improve the inertial dampeners so that tides wouldn’t rip apart a person not in the cockpit. Most of the conversation goes over Juno’s head, but the part he understands is that if Rita manages to do what she wants to then he won’t have to get sick every time they enter or leave an atmosphere.

“If you can figure out a way to do it safely,” Buddy warns, “I’m willing to let you try. But you need to bring me a plan before you start modifying anything down there.” Rita nods vigorously and thanks her, finishing her breakfast quickly and hurrying back down to the engine room. Juno hopes she figures it out.

Juno spends the morning helping Vespa and Buddy clean up the common area, and decided he can justify drinking a little more of his Martian bourbon in the late afternoon. He doesn’t feel like drinking in his room though, so he grabs the bottle and makes his way back up to the navigation room. He can almost hear Rita pointing out the names of the stars in the sky as he makes himself comfortable.

Maybe he’ll finally get around to reading more of the book today. Or not. Juno grabs one of the glasses kept in the cabinet by the navigational computer, kept up here for the exact purpose of when someone comes up here to drink. He suspects that Buddy and Vespa used to do it all the time, and probably still do it every once in a while when they get the chance.

Juno, however, doesn’t have a drinking buddy. Rita doesn’t like his bourbon, Jet doesn’t drink, and Rex… Well, Juno _could_ drink with Rex if he didn’t think it would end with one or the both of them becoming an emotional wreck. Not for the first time in the past few days, Juno lets down the mental blockade in his mind and allows himself to think of Rex as Nureyev.

His emotions feel raw all the time, but losing that distinction between the names makes them all feel so much more jumbled up. It’s funny: Juno never put much stock in Nureyev’s superstitions about his own name because he didn’t know the power that names had. A name was only ever an identifier, but now he sees things differently, at least when it comes to Nureyev’s name in particular. It holds so much power over him, and now also Juno. Is that what he meant that first night on the ship together, when he gave Juno his name? It certainly was like he had given him not just his name but also all the weight that came with it.

So much responsibility for someone who had proven himself to be so untrustworthy.

It’s gotten easier to spend time with him, at least. Juno still feels like he’s being torn apart every time Nureyev touches him, which is kind of a lot nowadays, what with such close quarters on a space ship and all the movie nights. The worst part is that after every accidental brush of their hands, no matter how much Juno’s heart aches when it happens, it hurts even more when that momentary contact is over. He longs for this impasse to be over. Juno keeps reminding himself that this is all he’s going to get and that he should be happy with how things are now, and if this is all he’s going to get then it’s still better than nothing. But that doesn’t stop him from wanting more.

Juno allows himself time, like he’s doing now, to imagine how different this could have been, if only he hadn’t done what he did that night in the hotel room. They could have had this exact view. Instead of drinking by himself and wallowing in his own misery while looking out at the stars, he could be wrapped up in Nureyev’s arms, most likely content and with slightly less trauma.

Juno’s glad he stayed for a couple reasons, though. As much as he wishes he’d done things differently with Nureyev, so many things turned out better because of it. For one, Hyperion City would have been full of mindless citizens controlled by the Theia right now. Juno also repaired his relationship with Rita and started dealing with some of his issues. He doesn’t get to discount that, not even to himself. 

Still, he wishes he could have done all that with Nureyev at his side.

There’s a whooshing from the door, the sound it usually makes when it’s being opened quickly. When Juno sees who it is, he scrambles to rebuild the walls in his mind around Nureyev. Speak of the devil.

He enters and the door shuts automatically behind him, and that’s when he notices that he isn’t alone up here. He starts, unusual for him not to be aware of where everyone is at all times. Rex must really be letting his guard down. “Oh, Juno! I wasn’t expecting to see you up here!”

“I’m up here kind of a lot, actually,” Juno replies, standing up from his place in the pillows. “What are you up to today?”

“Jet sent me up to check on a few things. Apparently, Rita received the go-ahead from Buddy to start poking around the inertial dampeners, but she wants to note positioning data in case any of the other systems are affected.” Rex turns to the computer and starts typing away. Juno didn’t understand most of what he just said, but it sounded like there was a chance things could get messy.

“Sooooo…. Translated to normal person speak?”

“I don’t understand nearly as much about space ships as you think I do.”

“Fair enough,” Juno says, deciding he still wants to make his way over to the navigational computer and see what Rex is doing. It looks like he’s saving data and sending hard files along to the bridge. Juno gets sinking feeling in his stomach. “Rita isn’t going to damage anything, right? We’re safe?”

Rex finishes up whatever it is he was tasked with and turns to Juno. “I have the utmost faith in your assistant, as does everyone else on this ship. Don’t you?”

Juno is bruised. That was a low blow. He knows in his head that Rex meant nothing by it, that it was just banter, but the implication that he doesn’t believe in _Rita_ is buckwild to him. “Of course I trust her,” he snaps, stalking back over to his place in the pile of pillows and plopping back down in them.

Rex follows, not taking the hint that Juno is done with this conversation. “Are you doing alright, Juno?”

But before Juno can give him a snarky reply, a loud grinding sound comes from the hangar beneath them. There aren’t any lights in the room, but the navigational computer blinks out. That is not good news.

A clunk comes from the door. Both of them freeze. Rex glances at him, asking with his eyes if he’s armed right now. Juno shakes his head. Rex sighs quietly, and pulls out his plasma knife. He really doesn’t go anywhere without it. They circle around to the door from either side of it, ever so slowly. Rex signals for Juno to open the door. He tries, but it doesn’t budge. This door shouldn’t be able to lock from the outside, only the inside.

Rex looks concerned too, and is about to put his plasma knife to the door, when the intercom crackles to life. Both of them jump when Buddy’s voice comes on. “Sorry about the outage, folks. _Somebody_ decided to mess with a system I _specifically_ asked them not to touch when I gave them permission to, and I cannot stress this enough, _look_ at how the inertial dampeners have been coded. That someone shall remain nameless.” Juno sags against the wall in relief. Rex sighs and puts his knife away.

“Anyway,” Buddy continues, “The ship’s lockdown procedure has been activated. Don’t worry, all the systems are still running smoothly, but everything has been routed through the bridge and the rest of the ship is in shut-down mode. All the doors are bolted shut. _Luckily_ , I am in the cockpit to get this sorted. Rita, you’d better put that machine together again right quick, you hear me? Everyone else, sit tight. This might take a while.” The intercom cuts out again.

Rex and Juno make eye contact for just a second and start laughing. For a moment there they’d both been thinking that someone was actually infiltrating their ship? They’re still in space! They would have felt an attack like that coming, at least from a human vessel, and since humanity has colonized practically the whole galaxy at this point with no alien interaction, there’s little chance it could be extraterrestrial.

When they come back to their senses, they collapse in the pile of pillows and look up at the vast expanse above. It’s the best Juno has felt since he joined this crew. After all the game nights and layovers at exotic planets, he finally feels like he has some sort of cohesive family. He may have lived in Hyperion City his whole life, but he’s never truly felt at home like this. For the first time ever, Juno lets himself feel happy about that, without letting any guilt creep in. He considers that quite a feat, considering he’s laying only a hair’s breadth away from his biggest regret.

They both know they’re going to be here for a while, and neither of them want to rush a conversation. A couple weeks ago, the prospect of being trapped in a room with Rex for hours on end would have scared Juno shitless. He wouldn’t have been able to control his emotions, and they’d both wind up hurting each other even more than they already have. Now though, Juno isn’t afraid of that. He doesn’t have to be. It’s a cool relief to be in the presence of this man that he feels so much for and no longer be afraid of what that means.

Something small has changed within him, but it’s made a world of difference in how he sees their relationship. He can’t pinpoint what it is exactly. Maybe it’d the fact that he’s finally fulfilled his promise, to see the stars with him. And all of a sudden, Juno can’t remember why they built these rules and walls around each other. How could this feeling ever have been so bad? Juno has to remember what it is that Rita keeps telling him: “You can’t keep bein’ so mean to yourself.” Common sense advice, but that doesn’t mean Juno has ever taken it.

Rex must have felt something about Juno’s demeanor shift, even in the silence, because he turns his body on his side and props his head up to look at Juno. The blood in Juno’s veins pumps faster. “How are doing? Really doing, I mean. You’ve been off of Mars for a month now.”

Juno quickly does the math in his head and realizes that today is actually his and Rita’s one-month anniversary of boarding the ship. He hadn’t bother to track it. “Space is great,” is what Juno manages to croak out.

Rex tsks. “Not what I asked.”

There’s no getting between Rex Glass and the answer he’s looking for. Juno should know that by now. He sighs and turns to mirror Rex’s position, although he lays his head on his arm instead of propping it up. “I’m… I’m doing okay, surprisingly. This is the best I’ve felt in… Well, years if I’m being honest. Decades, even.” And it’s the truth. This is the feeling he’s been chasing all his life, even if he’s spent most of that time going about it the wrong way.

Of course, it certainly helps that he’s been able to repair his relationship with Rex, with _Nureyev_. All he can hope for is that he can keep this peace between them, even is lying here so very, very close to him is agonizing. If he reaches out just a couple of centimeters, he could brush his hand across Nureyev’s cheek like he’d done in the past. But he can’t do that, so he smiles wide and genuine instead, and his heart soars when the man in front of him returns it.

“Good. I’m glad,” Nureyev replies. They fall back into comfortable silence but now there’s a new thrum of tension between them. Juno knows he should move, or look away, or do something to break it, but Nureyev isn’t doing any of that so he won’t either. What Juno can do is steer the conversation away from himself.

He glances at his now-empty glass of bourbon and opts to drink straight from the bottle instead of pouring another glass. He savors the distracting burn of it, and offers it wordlessly to Nureyev. He shakes his head fondly but accepts it and takes his own swig. Nureyev does not appreciate its bite as much as Juno. “How you prefer this over other fine liquors I’ll never know.”

“It’s a Martian classic! Not my fault you prefer the fancy stuff,” Juno retorts, taking the bottle back. “I guess there’s more for me then.”

“Now hold on,” Nureyev says reaching to grab the bottle away from him, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t drink it!” He doesn’t succeed at getting it back, but after Juno takes another gulp he does hand it over again.

“Hey, why do we hide all the booze on the ship? I know Jet has—what did he call it—a predisposition to alcoholism or whatever, but he ran the Lighthouse bar on that job where I met him. I know it’s not my place to ask but…” Juno has been wondering about that for a while. He gets the addiction thing, and especially after Mick opened up to him about his own problem with it Juno has been trying to be more considerate of his new friend.

Nureyev’s face darkens and he stays quiet for a moment, before taking a larger drink out of the bottle. “Has he ever told you how we met?”

Juno thinks for a moment. “You told me that you were after the same mark, but he’s never said anything.”

“If you must know, he was after those jewels to pay off a debt. This was before everything that happened with Buddy, although I never knew what he did for her until they picked me up a couple days before we got you. It’s not just alcohol; it’s addiction in general. We may have split the prize on that job where we met, but while he paid his debts, I paid for his rehab.”

Juno knew they were close, but he had no idea that Nureyev and Jet had a bond forged by something like that. He gets the feeling that he’s intruding on something deeply personal, but Nureyev wouldn’t be sharing this if he didn’t think it was important for Juno to know. Regardless, this is much more personal a story than Juno was expecting. Jet is a very private person, and Juno feels a pang of guilt for asking Nureyev to share this. He stays silent, and Nureyev continues.

“As far as I’m aware, he’s been clean ever since. He was in the program for a while, and when he got out we worked a couple jobs together to get him back on his feet. He wanted to go back to some of the places he’d been, see some of the people he’d hurt along the way, and I told him that if he looks back to things like that then he can only do so to make sure he doesn’t make the same mistakes he did before.”

The last bit gives Juno whiplash. Without thinking, he says, “We may look backward only to ensure we have not walked this path before.”

Nureyev sets the bottle of bourbon down in surprise. “That’s almost exactly what I told him.”

Juno shrugs. “He gave me the same advice when I was down on my luck. It helped, a lot actually.” He picks up the bourbon and takes another swig. He was planning on saving this for a special occasion, but Juno doesn’t think anything could top being locked in an observatory under the stars with Nureyev. So fuck it: he’s going to enjoy this.

“Huh,” is all Nureyev says, casting his gaze upwards. “Small world, I guess.” 

He doesn’t look perturbed, but that niggling sense of guilt is still eating away at Juno. “Hey, uh, is Jet okay with you sharing this?”

“He’s a very private person, but he trusts you, Juno, as much as anyone else on the ship.” They both wince a little at that, but Nureyev continues, “Regardless, he gave me permission to share the details of how we met a couple weeks ago. He deemed it relevant to our mission, but now I am beginning to suspect it was his own little prank.”

Juno snorts. “The big guy, pulling a prank?”

Nureyev swats him lightly in the arm but laughs as well. “He’s actually quite the jokester, once you get used to his kind of humor. I imagine he would find it immensely entertaining that you should realize this advice he gave you came from me, once upon a time.”

Jet would probably think it was hilarious, and maybe Buddy would too. When you get advice like that from someone that changes your life, you tend to hold on to it and share it with anyone else who’s down on their luck. Juno does appreciate it; after all, it helped him move away from Mars, away from his past and towards the future. Ironically, it also applies to Nureyev himself, who’s gone back to staring out at the stars.

It makes sense that Nureyev would give advice like that. Juno took it literally because Jet did, but for Nureyev it probably means more than just moving on from place to place, even if he does a lot of that. Nureyev isn’t just hopping from planet to planet, he’s making sure that he doesn’t look back towards Brahma. It’s why he doesn’t share his real name with anyone, and why he defends himself from Juno.

Because Juno—the old Juno, at least—was stuck in the past. He didn’t move on or try to change anything, even if he was running from it, but he was stuck. He’s finally learned how to keep moving forward, but if he’s being honest with himself, he’s still running away. He’d left unanswered questions behind in Hyperion City, and the only reason he considered leaving after everything in Newtown had settled was because he was tired of looking at that damn Theia Soul. 

There’s one thing Juno isn’t running from anymore, though. And that thing is the wonderful enigma lying right beside him. More than a year ago, he’d invited Juno to run away with him to the stars. With his newfound insight, Juno thinks maybe he saw all that turmoil inside Juno and wanted to help him escape it the same way he did. But Nureyev hasn’t escaped it, not really. He’s running from Brahma as much as Juno is running from Mars. 

Two revolutionaries, side by side, that each have held the supposed salvation of their cities in their hands.

Nureyev gestures his hand towards the bottle Juno is holding and raises an eyebrow. He probably asked for it, but Juno was lost in his own thoughts. “Here,” he says, and hastily pulls his hand back to himself. He sits up and rearranges the pillow pile beneath him, just to have something to do.

“How about a toast?” Nureyev asks when Juno turns back around to him. He’s sat up as well now, and holds the bottle up expectantly.

“We don’t really have anything to toast to,” Juno replies.

“Why of course we do!” Nureyev exclaims. He hums for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before raising the bottle up and speaking. “How about this: here’s to us. The universe has brought us together many times now, but this time, I think, it will not separate us again. So, Juno, to us.” He knocks the bottle back, taking a good chug.

Juno is floored. Of all the things he could have chosen, and of all the ways to say it, this is what Nureyev did. He nods and takes a similar draught when Nureyev hands him the bottle. He closes his eyes, afraid of the emotions they might betray in him. He takes a good long drink, knowing that the alcohol kicked in a while ago and that he’ll regret this when he wakes up tomorrow morning.

“Wow, alright, slow down there.” Nureyev eases the bottle back down and Juno’s head follows, but Juno doesn’t relinquish his grip. He’s about to do something really, really stupid. “You can put the bottle down now.” Juno has a white-knuckled grasp on the bottle. Instead of letting Nureyev taking it from him, he puts it down on the ground beside them with a bit too much force, Nureyev’s hand still covering his.

This is why he built those mental walls. He can’t let himself succumb to the feelings Nureyev stirs up inside him. It’s not what he wants even if it’s what Juno so desperately craves. It’s not what Nureyev wants, it’s not—except nothing he’s done since they were locked in has implied his discomfort with Juno. He knows how Juno feels now, and though Juno still doubts it, Juno knows that Nureyev isn’t trying to hurt him.

He’s a detective. He knows that he can’t ignore all the facts laid out in front of him, even if they point to an answer he’s convinced himself is impossible. He’s made that mistake too many times to make it again. And finally, finally, Juno knows what that indiscernible expression that’s been hiding behind Nureyev’s eyes all this time means: that he feels the same way Juno does and is in exactly the same pain that he is. It’s his own emotion reflected back at him.

Juno takes a leap of faith. He leans forward slightly, pushing his chin out a little to communicate what he’s about to do. Nureyev hesitates, pulling his hand back form where it covered Juno’s on the bourbon. Juno’s hope dies for just a moment, before all the coiled tension in Nureyev’s body surges forward and he brings their mouths together in a heated kiss.

He has half a second to realize that he’s kissing Nureyev again oh god this is everything I wanted before he’s spurred into action and kisses back. He creeps closer, sealing the gap between the two of them and knocking their knees together. Nureyev takes control, kissing as passionately as Juno remembers and nipping at his bottom lip. After a few minutes of this, the kiss slows. They take their time, now that they can.

Juno knows that the alcohol is partly to blame, getting them to act when their logic and common sense tells them that this is a bad idea. But right now, neither of them is hurting the other, and for the first time since they met Juno relaxes completely. They adjust positions so that Nureyev can slowly lay him back down in the pillows and blankets beneath them, but never lets go of him. He can’t seem to stop touching him. His hands rove up and down his arms and legs, his stomach, fist in his hair, rest on his chest, brush over his cheeks. Juno keeps his arms around his neck, afraid that Nureyev will disappear again if he doesn’t hold on as tight as he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, this fic is unbetaed, and although I do my best to edit and revise before I post, sometimes things slip by me. Please message me if there are any glaring issues (although I will not take criticism on story content itself, I will gladly gush about narrative with you). Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel that has been this fic! My goal is to get it completely finished before the new season starts in October since this is kind of my prediction for it, and it looks like I will be able to accomplish that! If you haven't heeded my tags before, please do so before this chapter. It's going to be a LOT heavier than the last one. Sorry friends, we're back in angst town.
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> The Perfect Mistake- Cartel  
> Miracle- CHVRCHES

Juno and Nureyev stay wrapped together for hours, somehow making their way under a blanket without disentangling themselves. It doesn’t go any further than making out, though, which Juno thinks is quite a feat of restraint on his part. This thing, this fragile thing he holds in his hands, has been broken too many times. If it shatters again, it will be into pieces too small to ever put back together again. Nureyev doesn’t try to push him either, which Juno is grateful for.

Instead, they just lie there together like they should have done in that hotel room so long ago. This is what the end of that evening should have been, and would have been had Juno not left. This moment for him is vindication. He feels the urge to run from it again, and he knows that Nureyev would let him, but he forces that feeling down until it passes. And when it does, he feels at peace.

Juno’s head is cradled in the crook of Nureyev’s arm while his other hand brushes methodically through Juno’s hair. Juno mirrors the motion on the side of Nureyev’s lean figure, occasionally sending shivers down his leg when he brushes a particularly sensitive spot. It’s serene, and Juno doesn’t ever want to leave. He feels a rush of disappoint when the intercom crackles to life.

Buddy has an update for them. “Alright friends, I’ve got good news and bad news. Which would you like first?” She pauses, almost as if he expects an answer even if no one can respond. “Well, the good news is that I have complete control of the ship again. The bad news is that disengaging the lockdown protocol takes roughly seven hours. I just started the process, but it will be a while before we’re free to move about the ship again. Please, if you have to use the restroom, don’t make too big of a mess.” The intercom cuts out again.

Juno relaxes again. They still have time like this. Seven hours, and then everything goes back to normal. Except Juno doesn’t want it to. He doesn’t want to leave this space. This moment won’t stay frozen in time, no matter how badly he wants it to.

Nureyev shifts slightly, tilting his head away, and Juno fears that this is already over. This was a one-time thing brought on by a multitude of factors: alcohol, isolation, take your pick. But he doesn’t move further away, and Juno tries to settle his thoughts, not letting them intrude. “Well, it seems we’ll be here a while longer. It’s already quite late at night; perhaps we should try to get some rest, hm?”

“Yeah,” Juno says, tightening his grip around Nureyev’s waist just a tiny bit. “Yeah, let’s do that.” He doesn’t feel particularly tired, but his body is exhausted. Now that Nureyev has mentioned it, he does feel that sinking sensation that is usually soon accompanied by sleep.

Much to Juno’s delight, Nureyev throws another blanket within reach over them and pulls Juno closer. “Goodnight, Juno.” He yawns, and falls asleep quickly. Again, that powerful sense of déjà vu strikes Juno. This is so very similar to before, with one key difference. Juno falls asleep alongside him, his face pressed against Nureyev’s chest, inhaling more of that addictive cologne that he’ll never get out of his head.

In hindsight, Juno should have been preparing for whatever fallout would come of this while he had time awake by himself to prepare, but he wants to enjoy this while it lasts. If all their other encounters end in tears, there’s no reason that this one won’t either. All evidence points to the contrary. But this time is different. Juno is making an effort not only for Nureyev but for himself. Maybe this time, neither of them will abandon anyone. He’ll do everything in his power to make it so.

* * *

_Juno is back on the cliffside, still dangling from one hand now. Nureyev stands above him with his arm outstretched. He’s going to pull Juno up to safety! Juno tried to reach up towards him, but his limbs won’t move. He’s so tired from all that running. Why was he running, anyway? This was the only end in sight._

_“I can’t,” Juno tries to tell Nureyev, but he doesn’t respond. It looks like he’s repeating the same phrase over and over again, but Juno still can’t make out the words. He sounds closer now, though. That has to be worth something._

_“Come closer, please. Please, Nureyev, I can’t reach you, you have to pull me up!” Juno pleads with Nureyev, and finally he notices that Juno is trying to communicate with him. He frowns and leans down, as if getting closer will help him focus on Juno. “HELP ME!” Juno cries, but Nureyev shakes his head and repeats whatever phrase it is he’s been saying this whole time again._

_Despair wells up inside Juno. Why doesn’t Nureyev help him? He tries to force his other hand to move, to reach up and grab the one that Nureyev is offering. It doesn’t budge. Something is wrong. This isn’t just exhaustion that immobilizes his limbs, it is something else._

_Something else is controlling him. It’s that voice from earlier: the Theia, a deeper part of his brain supplies. Juno knows that name from somewhere, but he can’t remember where. The emotions that accompany that name are awful. They are fear and anger and betrayal and hopelessness and hate, and Juno is resigned to them. Accepting something like that isn’t good, is it? Juno doesn’t think so at least._

_But if the Theia is keeping him on lockdown, she should be giving him instructions too. He doesn’t remember anything through the haze of its control, but he knows it has a voice. It should be here, but the only voice Juno hears in his head is his own. “Let go,” it says, “let go.”_

_Juno tries to communicate to the man above him that he can’t move, but now his mouth is paralyzed as well. He can’t speak. Nureyev just keeps repeating his phrase over and over again, still except for his face. Finally, Juno hears what he is saying. He can’t stand it._

_“Let go, Juno Steel.”_

* * *

Juno wakes up to the sensation of falling and simultaneously being shaken. He opens his eye and tries to take a deep breath but with no success. Nureyev has stopped shaking him, and is now holding him up by the shoulders with a concerned look on his face. Juno can’t breathe, he has to get away, this is too much, too much—

“Juno, dear, you were having a nightmare, are you alright?”

And before he knows it, he’s scrambled across the room with a blanket wrapped tight around him, desperate to get away from the man who moments ago was telling him to jump off a cliff. Nureyev approaches him like he’s a wounded animal, and Juno might as well be one for the fear he feels and the way he flinches nervously away from contact.

Nureyev stops moving towards him when he sees that and just sits down where he is, giving Juno time. “I know you don’t like asking for help, but if there’s anything I can do…”

Juno shakes his head and starts going through breathing exercises, closing his eye to concentrate. He’s fully awake now, but in those first few seconds of consciousness his mind was still back in the dream where Nureyev was his enemy. The blurred reality where he woke up made the usual panic attack that accompanies these dreams that much worse. When his heartrate finally goes down to a manageable level, he opens his eye to Nureyev again and nods.

Nureyev takes this as a sign that he can come help now, and Juno is thankful to sag into his shoulder when he closes the gap between them and pulls Juno into a warm hug. “Sorry, sorry,” Juno squeaks out. He’s still shaking. This is the worst one yet.

“Don’t apologize,” Nureyev says softly, softer than Juno is used to when he’s told that. “It’s alright now, you’re awake.” Juno clings to the blanket wrapped around him like a lifeline, letting Nureyev guide him back to their pillow fort. “Here, sit back down and I’ll get you another blanket. The weight will help.” And it does, when he arranges the heaviest blanket over Juno’s shoulders.

“Thank you,” Juno says in a small voice that wavers.

Nureyev smiles warmly in response. “Do you want to talk about it?” He asks this gently, so Juno knows that he won’t pry if he doesn’t want to share. 

Juno appreciates that, but the “No!” that escapes him is a little too loud and violent anyway. It’s not what Juno had intended. He shrinks back even more into himself and the blankets wrapped around him.

But Nureyev appears unphased. Juno suspects that he’s grown to expect Juno’s mood swings and that he was anticipating a reaction like that. Juno is disappointed with himself that lashing out was expected of him. It doesn’t make dealing with this any easier.

The thing is: Juno actually wants to talk to Nureyev about his nightmares. If anyone could help him make sense of them, or even begin to understand the impact the Theia has had on him, it would be Nureyev. But telling him that the version he sees in his dreams is out to get him right after the evening they’d just had is too much for Juno to process. He doesn’t want to lose him again, not after he just got him back.

And he knows that Nureyev’s emotions aren’t easily manipulated by something like this, but Juno can’t help but to worry about it anyway. Losing him once broke him, and he doesn’t want to know what losing him again will be like.

He’s also scared that talking about the nightmares is taboo, that they’ll get worse if he shares their content and how he feels about them. Putting words to how he feels has always been difficult and has never ended well.

Nureyev keeps that small, ever kind smile one his face, the one Juno has only ever seen when they’re alone. It warms Juno up inside. “We don’t have to talk about it, not if you don’t want to. I’m here if you need me, you know that right?” _Do I really know that?_ “If you ever change your mind, I’m here. But for now, why don’t we try to get some more rest. There’s still a couple hours until the doors open again.

Juno nods, and lets Nureyev scoop him back into a hug. They lie back down the same way they did before, only Juno holds on that much tighter and if he thinks about it, Nureyev does too.

* * *

When Juno next awakens, it is to the sound of the bolt on the door unlocking with a dull thud. The warmth behind him shifts around and groans sleepily. Juno is considerably less panicked at his touch this time around, and gladly turns over to look him in the eyes as he slowly blinks awake. With the lockdown over, this is no longer their haven, and Juno wants to get one last moment before it inevitably goes to shit again.

“Juno?” He asks blearily, a small grin on his face. His hand runs languidly down Juno’s back to confirm that yes, in fact, he still here. It’s probable that neither of them expected that. Finally Juno knows what it’s like to wake up in his arms, and it’s as good as he’d ever imagined it would be.

“Mmmmm,” Juno mumbles into his neck. He exhales, more tranquil now than he’s ever been in a position like this. “Nureyev,” he sighs out, still not quite awake.

The ball drops. Nureyev tenses like a cat at the sound of his name, and Juno knows that this is over. He’s fucked up again, and this time will probably be the last. He’s had enough second chances already.

“I thought we’d agreed not to use that name anymore,” Nureyev says curtly. There’s no use in even trying to salvage Juno’s mental barriers again. The damage has already been done. Rex Glass is no more.

“Well, I thought we’d agreed not to do whatever the hell we did last night anymore, either,” Juno rebukes. If they’re going to argue, he might as well have it all out for once. Nureyev doesn’t want him to just roll over for him, and quite frankly Juno has done enough of that to last him a few lifetimes. As far as Juno is concerned, they’re on even play ground after the previous evening.

Nureyev snaps back. “That name isn’t mine anymore. I gave it to you and you threw it away.”

“Well clearly I haven’t! I may have broken it a little but I held onto it! If you won’t take it back then it’s mine, and I’ll hold on to it, right here!” Juno smacks his hand over his heart. This is much more dramatic than he ever wanted to be, too much like Diamond—No, he’s not unpacking that right now, this is _not_ like that.

Nureyev doesn’t respond. He just glares at Juno. For once, Juno feels righteous in his anger. What the hell happened between them last night if he still won’t let go of this? What kind of game is he playing? Juno continues: “If you don’t want this, I’ll understand. You know I will… This isn’t about your name, is it? I just want you to be honest with me.”

“I haven’t lied to you Juno, in any way. Where is this coming from?” A hint of confusion flickers in Nureyev’s eyes. He doesn’t know that he’s quoting Ramses, and that certainly isn’t helping Juno right now. _I never lied to you, Juno._ Ramses manipulated him and now Nureyev is doing it to. What happened in the tailors’ shop on Ganymede was a misunderstanding, sure, but this time the stakes are higher and Juno knows he’s being played. He just hasn’t figured out how yet.

“You don’t get to have it both ways! We can’t be ‘just work buddies’ one minute and then making out like teenagers the next. You know where I stand. I don’t know what you want from me anymore.” Juno feels tears come to his eyes and doesn’t try to fight them. “If you’re not trying to hurt me, then what? What’s the point of all this? Every time you change your mind, you chew me up and spit me back out. I can’t keep doing this. Just tell me why. Explain it!” Juno pleads, literally on his knees, in front of a kneeling Nureyev.

Nureyev, with unimaginable pain his eyes that Juno has only seen through a door he locked in an underground Martian tomb, takes Juno’s hands into his own. It’s an action he’s taken a dozen times before, but instead of bringing them up to his lips for a kiss, he lowers his forehead to rest there. “I’m sorry,” he says softly, all animosity gone from his quivering voice. “I’m so very sorry. I’ve been selfish. I won’t do this to you again, this I swear.”

Juno is glad the door is unlocked now, because after this he needs an escape. He pulls his hands back gently from Nureyev, and leaves the room without looking back. He imagines Nureyev is still sitting there, head down in penance. Or maybe he’s already moved on from whatever game he’s been playing and is looking out to the stars again, thinking of his next destination. _It would be just like him,_ Juno thinks, _to already be planning his next move._ He knows he won’t be a part of it anymore.

Thankfully, he makes it back to his room without running into anyone in the halls. He doesn’t think he could handle facing anyone with his tear stained face at this point in time. Even the growling in his stomach isn’t enough to get him to stop at the kitchen for a snack. Rita left some snacks in his room the last time she was in here. At the time Juno thought it was a little strange that she forgot them there, but now he realizes it was probably for situation like this when he couldn’t be around people.

She’s always looking out for him. Rita really was the best thing that ever happened to Juno, and he’s so thankful that he knows that now. Still, he never thought he’d see the day that the smell and taste of her ridiculous salmon ships would comfort him so much.

Belatedly, Juno realizes he left his bourbon behind in the navigation room. Despite the pounding in his head and the fact that it’s early morning ship’s time, he’d give anything for the last few ounces left in it after last night. It’s not healthy, he knows, so it’s probably for the best that Nureyev still has it. He’s not the type to drink himself blind first thing in the morning.

After he’s sated his stomach with the meager snack food, Juno just stares out his little window and lets his mind drift. Rita comes to join him at some point, although he can’t say exactly how long it took for her to get here or how long she’s been rubbing his back soothingly. He appreciates it, though, and he lets her know. She just smiles and gives him a hug. “I’m here to help, Mista Steel, any time you need me.”

He doesn’t have to tell her that something bad happened with Nureyev again. Considering how often the two of them have issues, she’s learned to tell when he’s the cause. It’s both gratifying and depressing that they seem to have developed a routine for dealing with Juno’s Nureyev-related problems.

That’s how they spend the rest of the day, until a small knock comes to the door. Rita opens it, but there’s no one there, just Juno’s almost-empty bottle of Martian bourbon with a note attached to it. “’I’m sorry. Our deal is still on, if you want it to be.’ What’s that supposed to mean, boss?” Rita reads aloud for him.

“It means it won’t affect the job,” Juno replies, knowing that if they don’t keep up appearance that everything will go to shit. There’s less than a week until they reach Baldur and its moon; they can make it work until then. But after that is when Nureyev will likely leave. This time, Juno knows it will be for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos make me day; thank you for all your support!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delayed updated! Dragoncon last week and the liveshow this weekend have me burning through my backlog of writing. I'm hoping to get some writing done on the plane on my way to Boston, but regardless I believe there will only be 3 or 4 more chapters after this in the story! I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm so thankful to those of you who have enjoyed and supported me as I get this story out of my head and onto the page.
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> Lower East- Hara Noda  
> Bad Time- Grand Funk Railroad

The remaining few days of travel are uneventful, if more than a little tense. Juno is worried and extremely careful when he arrives at dinner the evening after the lockdown. Nureyev, however, is the perfect picture of manners and snark that embodies Rex Glass. He shows no difference in their relationship. Juno apologizes to the rest of his group for being secluded during the day, and everyone pretends to buy into his excuse that he’s just tired except Jet, who sends a knowing look at Rita.

Those two have gotten near inseparable in the past month. Still, after half an hour or so, Juno feels comfortable enough in his skin again to slip back into faking his easy relationship with Rex Glass. Knowing there’s a deadline on their time together makes it easier to act like nothing happened, somehow. He can’t think about it too hard though, for fear of breaking down again. He’s done enough of that lately.

Whatever Rita did with the inertial dampeners that day on lockdown seems to have worked, however. Buddy tries and fails to hide her disbelief when Vespa and Jet triple check all of Rita’s work and declare her a genius. Rita’s ego is already big enough in Juno’s opinion, but even with his paltry understand of technology, he knows that this is an amazing feat. It’s almost a shame that they don’t get to test it immediately.

The blockade on Vali won’t let a ship of their size land. The anti-gravity generators are too powerful. Instead, Juno and Nureyev get dropped off at a station run by Rasbach’s company that orbits the moon they own. It’s a massive station, but the moon is smaller than Ganymede, and far less impressive. At least, Juno thinks it’s less impressive, but they’re in the night cycle (thankfully a normal one this time) and dark clouds obscure any view of the surface.

Juno is dressed to the nines and acts like the haughty Atreus Caelum would, accompanied by his lovesick watchdog, Ares. He presents their credentials, and they pass through two security checkpoints without issue. Their cover is flawless, thanks to Nureyev’s skills. Plus, this confirms that Alessandra had indeed kept her promise not to tell anyone what Juno was up to.

The two of them are asked to wait with several other groups here for the event. After an hour or so, they are all shuffled forward into a ferry, specially designed to counteract the antigrav effects, and brought down to the surface of Vali. The rest of the crew will have to come down in tiny two-man crafts: Buddy and Vespa to steal a cargo ship, Jet and Rita to break into the office and grab the passkey. The ship they’re on now, though, is still small enough that the turbulence is minimal. Juno still gets a little nauseous, but he manages to keep it in his stomach. Nureyev stays silent the whole time.

As they descend, they pass through the dark clouds that Juno discovers is actually smog. And when they finally get a clear view of the ground, he can see why it’s there. Almost the entire surface consists of factories and warehouses and older industrial buildings. It looks even worse than Oldtown, and Juno never thought that was possible. Supposedly, this is a residential district. He shudders to think what homes in a broken-down place like this would look like.

The shuttle lands in the one bright spot in the sea of dark buildings. Unlike the old infrastructure they passed to get here, the buildings are clean and sparkling. The streets are clear, and well-dressed pedestrians mill about. It’s clear that this is where the wealth has gone in the aftermath of the war. They’re on the outer rim now, after all, this would be one of the areas hardest hit by the conflict. 

Nureyev checks them into the hotel and they make their way to their room in silence. Of course, there’s only one bed. Just Juno’s luck. This is also the first time he’s been alone with Nureyev since the lockdown happened. He refuses to address any of that tonight.

Juno elects to just go to bed, eating a quick microwaved meal without making conversation. Nureyev doesn’t make any move to converse, either. The absolute silence in the air is deafening. Nureyev takes a bit longer to come to bed. Juno isn’t asleep yet, but his eye is closed and he’s trying his hardest not to think about having to share a bed with Nureyev again.

Nureyev must think he’s asleep, however, because when he gets in the other side of the bed he leans over to Juno and softly brushes his hair. “I promise, Juno, I’ll try my hardest to fix this,” he whispers, and retreats back to the edge of his side to sleep. 

_I didn’t ask you to fix this_ , Juno parrots back in his head, echoing the conversation he and Nureyev had when they first saw each other again. If he thought he was going to get any rest tonight, he was wrong. He hadn’t been sleeping well since the last nightmare in the first place, and now with Nureyev’s misplaced guilt on his conscience, he’s too hardwired to relax properly.

Juno lies awake, staring at the ceiling for most of the night. Occasionally his gaze drifts to Nureyev’s sleeping form, but the emotions that accompany him when he does are much too painful for him to bear. He distracts himself by going through what he remembers of the several movies Rita made him watch with her and Jet the night before and trying to figure out what the plot of them was. He doesn’t have much luck.

* * *

By the time that morning comes around, Juno has resolved himself to making the best of the time he has left with Nureyev. His mantra up until the night of the lockdown had been to ‘take what he can get’ and if this is all he’s getting, he wants to make sure that he doesn’t regret these last few days they have together before Nureyev inevitably leaves again.

Nureyev is still sleeping, but the first rays of light are coming through the window so Juno can justify getting out of bed. This hotel room is by no means the penthouse suite they had on Ganymede, but there’s still a separate little sitting area with a couch facing the dawn. The sprawl of Vali’s poorest districts is visible, and it makes Juno happy that they’re going to be doing something to help them. With the blockade down, humanitarian organizations and galactic governments can put a stop to the people in charge, who will have conveniently lost all of their bargaining power as well as their money.

Once again, Juno and Nureyev get to be revolutionaries, but this time they have an actual plan and support from their friends.

Baldur is visible further out. It is an image of vast green and blue expanses, seemingly untouched by the poverty of its moon. Beyond it, two orange stars orbit each other. This is a binary star system, and there are two other planets here that support life. One of them is filled with resorts and animals long-extinct back on Earth. It’s a shame they don’t have time to visit it.

Juno brews a strong pot of coffee in the little machine provided for guests in the room. It’s been a while since he’s had any since they’ve been spending so much time on the ship. All they have on there is decaf, which is fine, but Juno prefers his coffee with a little more kick to it.

He doesn’t hear Nureyev get out of bed, only the sound of the bathroom door closing and the shower turning on. He glances back into the bedroom to see empty rumpled sheets. Having shared a bathroom with the man for over a month now, Juno knows how to time when he’ll be getting out. He gets another cup of coffee ready for Nureyev and greets him in the doorway.

“Morning,” Juno says, a lot more confidently than he feels, “Made some coffee. Here.” He hands the fresh coffee to a bewildered Nureyev. It’s such an abrupt change of pace for them compared to last night. It’s understandable that Nureyev would be a little confused.

As with everything, however, he sorts it out in no time, smiling at Juno just the same as he’s always done. “Thank you. Lovely morning, is it?” The light through the window is filtered in unusual pink shades, due to the nature of the dual suns and smoggy atmosphere.

“If you don’t count the view,” Juno chuffs.

Nureyev nods in firm affirmation, fixing his eyes on the skyline. “We’re going to change that view.”

“It’s a shame we won’t get to see it.” 

Juno knows Nureyev turns his head to look at him after that statement, but he doesn’t want to know what kind of expression it holds. Whether it be pained or curious or just plain apathetic, Juno doesn’t think he’d be able to face it just this moment. Instead, he continues to stare resolutely at the rising suns.

A moment of silence passes between them. Juno wills himself not to feel awkward but doesn’t feel like he’s succeeding. “Well, we don’t have to be at the event until tonight, and we’re not scheduled to check in with the others for another ten hours. What shall we do to pass the time?” Nureyev asks in that ridiculously sultry way of his. Juno knows exactly what he’d like to be doing but it’s definitely off the table.

He does want to spend time with Nureyev though, even if there’s awkward tension between them. It beats hanging around the hotel doing nothing, at the very least. “I mean, I’d like to suggest sightseeing, but I have a feeling that isn’t the best idea. Shopping? Cards?” Juno suggests instead.

“Aren’t you a terrible gambler?” 

“That’s why I suggested cards. I don’t have to be good at it, but I have to at least know something before tonight. It’s a fundraiser that uses poker, isn’t it?” The actual specifics for his portion of the job tonight were never that important compared to the logistical stuff for the rest of the crew. Juno and Nureyev are undercover lookouts tonight and nothing more.

Nureyev hums. “It’s not much of a charity, I’ll say, but you are correct. Cards it is then, although I would like to get some new suits for the evening. Looking one’s best is always in one’s best interest.” An inane colloquialism, but Juno thinks it’s adorable all the same.

“Shopping, then poker. Got it.”

They don’t end up spending very much time looking at suits. They manage to find some in elegant print that coordinate right in a store of the hotel lobby. The staff promises to alter them to their measurements and have them brought up to the room within a couple hours. Satisfied with his purchase, Nureyev makes a show of ordering food from room service at the front desk before they head back up.

They’ve just finished playing their first hand at poker (which Juno lost even with a decent hand because Nureyev is an intimidating opponent) when room service knocks on their door and rolls in with a cart filled with food. When the door closes behind the bellhop on their way out, Juno whirls on Nureyev. “Did you order everything in their kitchen or something? This is so much food.”

Nureyev shrugs. “If we’re going to be here all day and all service is complimentary anyway, why not order as much as we can?” We might as well enjoy ourselves at their expense while we’re stuck here. We’re going to rob them anyway.”

Juno busts out laughing. Nureyev’s logic is so very simple but hearing it laid out like that is hilarious. Nureyev look at him funny. “Really, Juno, that’s not one of my best jokes.”

“That’s what you think,” Juno retorts, filling an empty plate with a little bit of everything and sitting back down in the living room area. Nureyev grabs some food too, mostly sweets, and they resume playing.

Juno really is bad at gambling. Like, horrendously bad. And playing against someone as good as Nureyev certainly isn’t helping either. Still, he manages to figure out the rules of the game and how each winning hand works. That isn’t to say he starts winning, however. Nureyev is an impeccable actor and therefore also an unbeatable opponent when it comes to poker. Juno can’t keep himself from grinning like an idiot when he gets a good hand or frowning aggressively in an attempt at poker face when he gets a bad one.

Even if he had a good enough poker face, Nureyev could always read Juno like an open book filled with bold-fonted words. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. They get the time until the event to pass by ever so slowly. Cards are fun, but they keep taking breaks to get more snacks from the cart or go over their covers again since it’s been a little while.

A little past noon, there’s a knock on the door from the hotel concierge holding two garment bags. Nureyev literally drops everything he’s doing to take a look at them. The cards he was holding fall onto the table where Juno can see them. It was nothing good, and Juno curses himself for not figuring out that Nureyev was bluffing.

The suits are wonderful. They have a fine velvet brocade overlaid with satin of different colors. Juno’s is a deep purple and Nureyev’s is silver. Neither of them have a tie or anything of the sort, so Juno knows Nureyev plans to wear his button up slightly open. Juno will be doing no such thing, leaving the seductive act to his supposed bodyguard.

Trying on the suits takes a grand total of thirty minutes, ten of which include Nureyev trying to decide how he wants to do Juno’s hair tonight. “I have no idea how Rita managed to do it last time,” he says, inspecting Juno’s unkempt curls from every angle. “It’s been a while since you’ve cut it. Do you want to do that before tonight?”

And that’s how they end up with Juno seated on the bathroom counter and Nureyev with scissors in his hands. “I’m suddenly glad that we didn’t start drinking when I suggested it earlier,” Juno says.

Nureyev hums. “Can you hand me the clippers, please? I want to get your undercut clean.”

“Here.” Juno hands it over. He’s had the same hairstyle for years now and sees no need to change it. It’s comfortable and efficient, doesn’t really need any sort of extra care unless he’s dressing up like tonight. It feels insanely good to have Nureyev fingers running across his scalp, though. Juno already has his eye closed, all he has to do is lean into the touch. Nureyev’s dexterous fingers are experts in all things, including running through Juno’s hair, apparently.

He feels fresher with his hair cut, and he actually managed to enjoy the proximity it put him in with Nureyev despite the roiling in his head. Nureyev touches up his own hair too, although can’t really tell the difference. It matters to Nureyev, though, so Juno compliments him on his work nonetheless. Nureyev beams.

They’re about to go back to the cards when Nureyev’s comms go off with a call from Buddy. He picks up immediately and sets in on speaker. “Vespa and I have landed safely, and we’re in position to grab the freighter as soon as we get that passkey. Estimating eighteen minutes to steal the freighter, one hour and forty-three minutes to grab all six of the antigrav generators. You two will steal one of those luxury cruisers once the generators are down and rendezvous with us in orbit. Jet and Rita will do the same, but they’ll get our ship aboard their cruiser. They’re plenty big enough for that, and the freighter is big enough for all of them.

“Copy that,” Nureyev responds when Juno nods. They’ve been over this plan dozens of times, but if one thing goes wrong then they’re all screwed. It never hurts to be more careful.

“Try to have fun tonight you two; after all, for your cover to work you must actually enjoy the festivities. Even if you are going to lose, Juno.”

“Hey!” Juno shouts from across the room, having gone to grab a sandwich off the cart. He knows she’s teasing, and only pretends to be offended. The past few hours of playing with Nureyev haven’t proven him to be any better than when the whole crew had played together a little while ago. “I know how the game works now, at least!”

Buddy laughs brightly, and they can hear Vespa faintly in the background too. “Well, that’s a vast improvement then! Rita will connect us when she and Jet are in position, and I’ll see you in ten hours. Buddy out.” The comms click off, and Nureyev sets it back down in the charging station.

“Well then. More cards?” he asks.

“Please.”

The rest of the day passes leisurely, and then it’s time to get ready. It isn’t until they actually put on their suits and Nureyev sits Juno down on the bathroom counter again to do his make up that the nerves start kicking in. Sure, they’ve both done way crazier things with bigger stakes, but they’ve all been spur-of-the-moment things, never as meticulously planned as this. When he actually has time to think about what they’re about to do, Juno gets anxious.

Nureyev doesn’t give anything away, but Juno thinks he might be nervous too. This part of the job hits really close to home for him. Liberating a massive amount of people from profit-mongering and controlling overlords is pretty much exactly what he tried to do for Brahma, once upon a time. He’s probably running through that day again in his head, over and over. This time, though, he’s not alone, and Juno will make sure that this goes off without a hitch. He’ll make Nureyev proud.

Maybe pulling this off will be enough to make Nureyev stay with the crew, with him.

Juno has been careful not call Nureyev by his name again, but he’s also made no attempt to call him Rex Glass. He refuses to put up walls around them again. Not after that night. At least Juno had made it to the morning without fucking everything up this time. 

Buddy’s right though, they’re going to enjoy themselves tonight. Juno wants to party, in a way he hasn’t done since he actively hung out with the Kanagawa twins. He and Nureyev are all set and ready to go when Rita’s voice bursts into their eardrums through the hidden headphones in each of their ears. Neither of them of mics because they’d be too difficult to hide, but they can at least listen to how the rest of the operation is going while they’re at the event. They’ll be able to hear their escape cue, which is the most important part, and each of them has a clicker in their cufflinks that they can use to warn Jet and Rita if security notices something.

“Allirrghhttyyy, ladies and gents we are READY!” Rita yells. Juno was braced for this, but Nureyev winces and turns down the volume on his earpiece by half. Juno smirks at him and he sticks his tongue out in retaliation.

“Miss Rita,” comes Jet’s deeper and thankfully much quieter voice, “please refrain from making any loud noises when we get inside the building.”

Juno feels like he can actually see her pouting at Jet. “Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m just so excited! This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done!” Juno would argue that taking down the Theia control tower while his mind was highjacked was the coolest thing she’s ever done, but the night is still young.

Vespa chimes in, “Rita, didn’t you help Juno take down a government conspiracy to brainwash all of Mars?” Yes! Vespa has his back!

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that!” Rita responds. Juno highly doubts that’s the case, but it’s up to her to decide what’s cool and what isn’t. He knows how terrifying that experience was for her.

“Regardless, it’s time to get moving. You boys ready to head out?” Buddy asks. Juno and Nureyev both click once for yes. “Good. Give us a signal when you’re there, and when you think the time is right for Jet and Rita to break in and get the passkey.”

The line stays on, as it will all night. Nureyev takes Juno’s arm in his, echoing the way they attended the gala on Ganymede, and they step out of the hotel room to join the throng of other wealthy benefactors from all over the galaxy to head to the event.

The set up is much the same as it was for the gala, and Juno is beginning to suspect that morally ambiguous rich people all have generally the same taste when it comes to what parties should look like. But unlike the gala, there will be no dancing. The ballroom of the hotel is filled to the brim with all sorts of tables for card games. Well-dressed dealers stand at every table, and a large counter over the center stage displays how much money is being raised for “relief efforts” on Baldur. No one mentions how poorly the citizens of its moon are being treated.

Juno accepts a drink with an electric green color from a passing tray and gulps it down. It tastes horrendous, and Juno immediately wants another. Nureyev scans the room, and they begin to make the social rounds as Atreus Caelum and his stoic bodyguard. Some of the guests here recognize them from the gala on Ganymede, but not until Juno mention’s the name ‘Caelum’ which means their faces aren’t recognizable, at least. That was a concern he didn’t know he had until it was alleviated.

It’s kind of a rush, actually. Being known by name and name alone is exhilarating. Juno feels kind of bad about enjoying how he’s lying to all these people, but considering their end goal he’s allowed to enjoy this. After all, everyone being deceived here has contributed to the suffering of many people for the sake of profit. Is this how Nureyev feels every time he dons a new identity? Juno might finally understand his fixation on the importance of names. Not for the first time, Juno is sorry he every disrespected that ideology.

Eventually, Nureyev does nudge him away from the punch tables and towards the card games. “Atreus, darling, you do have to play, you know. After all, this is a charity event. The more you lose the better.”

“Naturally,” Juno responds, “Although I’m not too happy with your lack of confidence in my abilities.” He frowns dramatically for good measure.

Nureyev acts taken aback. “My apologies, milady.”

Juno chuckles and pats him on the cheek good-naturedly. “Come now, Ares, it’s not so great an offence. Let’s go play some poker.”

The other couples they were speaking with seem to enjoy their interaction. Playing the lovestruck bodyguard and the rich fool seems to have done wonders for their cover. Any suspicion that may have befallen their somewhat jilted interaction is mistaken for the awkwardness of a technically forbidden romantic affair thrust into the public eye. It’s genius, even if Juno isn’t the best with public displays of affection.

They’ve done enough of the lovey dovey act, now they just have to go play cards, but Juno sneaks his hand into Nureyev’s as they make their way through the crowds. Nureyev holds his hand gently, not squeezing but also not letting go. He’s letting Juno dictate this tonight, and Juno will be damned if he isn’t going to take advantage of it. He doesn’t know when he’ll next get a chance to do this, if ever, and the thought burns him up inside. He’d never have dared to do something even as small as this before.

They sit down side by side at a table with five other people and the dealer brings them into the game. Juno lets himself get absorbed by it and manages at least to not get lost in the shuffle of the cards. Jet’s voice comes in softly through the earpiece after about an hour. “Rita and I are in position. Whenever you think the time is right, give us five clicks and we’ll get moving.”

Vespa responds immediately after. “We’ll wait for your signal to get started on our end, Jet. Good luck.”

“I do not need any luck.” Jet sounds almost offended.

Buddy laughs, and then silence ensues again. They’re nervous, too. Juno’s glad he isn’t the only one. 

After a few more hands, Rasbach’s boss calls the entire room to attention for a speech, to thank everyone for showing up tonight and for being so generous with their losing hands to support their charity event. It seems like it will be long and drawn out, per Baldur’s culture, so Juno looks inquisitively at Nureyev, who nods. Juno clicks his cufflink five times, and Rita confirms it over the earpiece. The heist has begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember that this fic is unbetaed, and sometimes mistakes slip through my editing. If there are any glaringly horrible mistake let me know. As always, comments and kudos make my idea.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya folks! I've got a good bit of housekeeping today so please bear with me.
> 
> First of all, I was at one of the liveshows last weekend! It was an absolute blast, and I can't wait until they release the video so I can watch it again. I've never been in a more welcoming environment or met kinder people in my life. The new take on Train From Nowhere was both hilarious and heartrending, and M Sutherland truly is a force to be reckoned with.
> 
> Next, about this chapter! This is BY FAR the longest chapter of this fic, and probably one of the longest things I've ever written. The angst comes back with a vengeance in this one, and I would definitely recommend rereading the previous chapter before starting this one. As a reminder, they are on the final heist of this job, to steal bank passwords and antigravity generators. 
> 
> As I said in my last update, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! This fic is nearly done! I'm working on rebuilding my chapter backlog, and as soon as I am finished I will start posting WEEKLY instead of every other week! Right now, I'm estimating roughly 100k (wow that's too much) for the whole thing, and I will hopefully have it done before the new season starts in October and throws this little season 3 fan theory of mine out the window. 
> 
> Also, I've had a couple people here and on tumblr ask if they could make fanart of this fic. My response to that is: go nuts! I never even hoped to inspire fanart in my life, and every time I get asked about that it makes my heart sore. All I ask is that you credit my fic if you use it, and please send it to me because I would LOVE to see it! I am azothisdead on tumblr, if you want to tag me there.
> 
> I think that's it! As always, thank you so much for joining me on this crazy journey and giving me so much support. <3
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> Walk Me Home- P!nk  
> Misty- Ahron Kupner  
> Nerve- DON BROCO

Good old Texas Hold ‘Em is the game, and Juno has two pairs in his hand. He looks at Nureyev and attempts to figure out how good his hand is. Juno doesn’t care so much about winning or losing against the house as he does figuring out Nureyev at least once. Neither of them say much, preferring to listen to Rita and Jet’s progress over the earpiece, and Juno takes advantage of Nureyev’s silence to try and find his tells. So far, he hasn’t had any luck.

“Rita, we have eighty-four seconds before the patrol for this floor comes around. Will you have the door open by then?” Jet’s voice whispers into their ears.

Rita huffs. “It’s not a standard OS, gimme a minute! This is the third door with a wildly different system, it’s gonna take me a bit to hack it.”

“We do not have that much time. There is only one patrol on this floor but if they see us our entire operation is doomed.”

“Well you don’t have to be so negative all the time!” Rita responds harshly. It’s obvious, to Juno at least, that she’s trying her hardest not to shout like she usually would in a situation like this. It’s proof she’s taking all this very seriously.

There’s a beat of silence before Rita whoops. “There! It’s open, now let’s go!”

“Please endeavor to be more quiet, Miss Rita,” Jet pleads, not for the first time.

“Sorry,” she says. “At least we’re in the elevator now! We’re almost there.”

“Good.” Buddy chimes in for the first time since the break-in started. “How are things looking on your end, Juno? Any sign they’ve noticed anything?”

Juno hums and folds. He’s betting Nureyev has a better hand than him this time around. As he places his cards down on the table, he adjusts his cuffs and clicks the signals for ‘all okay’ and ‘no’ back to Buddy. “Well, this is all going rather well.”

Nureyev looks at Juno’s folded hand and grins, although Juno isn’t sure whether it’s because he won or because they haven’t run into any problems yet. Nothing happens as the elevator rises hundreds of stories, but the round of cards at the table finishes out. As Juno suspected, Nureyev’s hand was good this time. He’s starting to figure out how to play cards against him! Juno congratulates himself silently.

Now to actually use his knowledge to win a round instead of knowing when he needs to fold. Still, he smirks at Nureyev with unashamed pride. He’s come a long way since their games earlier in the day. Nureyev smiles back, and Juno’s heart stops. This man beside him is dazzling. It’s like the first time they met, when Juno was halfway out a window and Rex Glass was just a charming, if confused, stranger. He’s too distracted and doesn’t notice when the dealer waits for him to start his turn this round.

“Atreus, I believe you should return your attention to the game, now. You can’t keep losing like this, even if it is for charity.” The other players at the table get a laugh out of Nureyev’s joke. The dealer, however, is not amused.

“While your… bodyguard here is quite attractive, I would prefer if your attention was on the game while you are seated at my table.” Juno knows the dealer’s job is to keep the game on track, but he doesn’t like the way the dealer eyed Nureyev like that. His irritation with the dealer is almost enough to mask how embarrassed he is to have been caught staring. Almost.

“Apologies!” Juno—no, Atreus—responds. “I’m just reminiscing. Ares has been with me for ages and he’s a tad bit more interesting than the cards at times.” Nureyev has to stifle a laugh and the dealer looks thoroughly insulted. Good, that’s what Juno wanted.

The next hand holds nothing useful for Juno. Luckily, his poker face seems to have improved since he’s focusing on what’s happening in his earpiece now more so than on the game. He thinks Nureyev’s concentration may also be lacking a little because of it. Both those factors add up to Juno deducing that Nureyev’s hand this round may just be as bad as Juno’s. It would be fun to win a round against him without even having a decent hand to back it up.

Juno plays his cards right, and Nureyev folds right as Jet’s voice comes through again. “We’ve reached the top floor with no problems. Estimating ten more minutes before we have the passkey.” There’s silence on the earpiece again, but that’s just as well because Juno is now thoroughly invested in this round. If he can get the dealer to fold too, then he’s actually won a round!

The dealer does end up folding, but one of the other guests that’s playing at the table with them has a full house. Juno reveals his hand and exposes his bluff, and Nureyev looks at him surprised. “Why Atreus, I didn’t know you had it in you!” Under the words of his cover, Juno can see that Nureyev is genuinely complimenting him on his accomplishment. What can he say, Juno learned from the best.

“You should expect more of your boss,” Juno responds with a smirk he learned from Rex Glass.

Another hand gets dealt, and they settle back into playing the game passively. Rita is working on hacking the office door now, so Nureyev and Juno have to survey the room to make sure security hasn’t been tipped off. So far, it doesn’t seem like anyone in charge here is wise to the fact that they’re being robbed. None of the security guards have been called away, and their remote check-ins have run like clockwork, each guard using a walkie-talkie every fifteen minutes to send updates. The pattern hasn’t been broken. Jet and Rita haven’t been discovered.

“Aaaanndddd… we’re in!” Rita lets them know. “Alrighty Mista Jet which drawer do you think it’s in? My bet is on—”

“It is here.” Jet says, and Juno can hear the sound of things moving around through his earpiece. 

Rita gasps. “Oh, wow! How did ya find it so fast?”

“I knew where it was. It was in our notes.”

Rita audibly pouts with a “hrmph” and says, “Well I didn’t see anything like that on mine! All I had was computer specs and that sorta stuff.”

If Jet were the kind of person who liked to sigh, this is where he would have done it. “That is because you only wanted those specs. If you had asked for any of the other information, you would have known as well.”

“It don’t matter now, though! We got it!” Rita is excited, and Juno cheers internally.

Buddy’s voice comes on next. “Excellent work, you two. Send us the data for the freighter and the antigrav generators through the secure comms upload, and get the hell out of there. The rest of us will move out once you’re in the clear so that it doesn’t all go to shit with you locked inside their headquarters.”

“Roger that,” Jet and Rita respond in unison. Juno and Nureyev both click confirmation signals into their cuffs and get up from the table after the next round. They go grab one last drink from the punch table and clink their glasses together in celebration.

For once, it is Juno who sips his champagne slowly to savor it and Nureyev that downs it all in one go. “I’d say tonight went rather well, don’t you think?” Juno asks, trying to gauge Nureyev’s reaction. His suddenly more nervous energy has put Juno on edge. He glances around. Security is still exactly where it’s supposed to be, Jet is narrating their uninterrupted progress out, and everything has gone smoothly. So what does Nureyev have to be antsy about?

It’s unlike him to worry like this. He maintains character as well as he normally does, so maybe it’s just Juno projecting onto him. After all, he fully expects Nureyev to take off in the next few days with an indifferent goodbye, never to be seen again. As much as Juno doesn’t want that to happen, he knows that Nureyev isn’t the kind of person to stick around just because he’s wanted there. He has a bigger purpose in life, and Juno won’t hold him back from it. 

“Hmm, yes, if you count losing quite a sum of creds as ‘well’ then I suppose it did,” comes Nureyev’s retort.

“Come now! The entire point of this event was to lose; this is for charity after all.” Juno gestures to the large counter displayed above the stage where various speakers have stood all night. The number is well into the trillions after hours of rich people gambling.

This is the part that Juno feels good about. None of this money would have actually made its way to help the people of Vali, but their heist is going to change that. They might be stealing all the company’s creds right under their noses, but all the money from tonight isn’t going to them. The passkey gives them access to all the company’s finances, so they’re going to reroute all the creds the company has ever gotten from ‘charity’ events towards channels that are actually going to do something good.

Of course, they’re still taking a massive amount of profit for themselves. And the antigravity generators, but that’s mostly an afterthought. It’ll help them escape, plus it’ll make it easier for aid to come to the citizens of Vali held hostage by them for so long. In comparison to the wealth the company holds, their value is negligible. Jet plans to sell them off for scrap a couple weeks after the heist.

“They do seem to have raised quite a decent bit of money tonight!” Nureyev barks out a laugh, and those guests milling around them who overheard the joke laugh alongside him. He and Juno are having a very different conversation, but out in public and undercover, they have to twist their words like this. Juno laughs too, not so much because what Nureyev said was funny, but because all these people, these corporate assholes who’ve made their fortune off of other people’s suffering, are laughing at a joke about how the company they invested in is about to be penniless.

Finally, Jet reports that he and Rita are clear of the building and headed towards the shipyard. Buddy and Vespa start the next phase and move to take the freighter. Juno and Nureyev bid their goodbyes to the guests around them and start making their way to the shipyard as well, eager to be out of the company of those profitmongers.

When they get outside, they go to their equipment stash that Rita had prepped for them before she and Jet infiltrated the offices. It contains water and some snacks, but more importantly new earpieces wired to mics instead of the clickers in their cufflinks. They swap them out and check in verbally to find that Jet and Rita have already found a cruiser and are getting ready to take off. Juno and Nureyev are about ten minutes out, and all that’s left is the rendezvous with Buddy and Vespa to pick up the antigrav generators.

They don’t speak enroute to the shipyard. Nureyev is tense, and it’s putting Juno on edge too. He knows he’s not imagining it now. The way Nureyev refuses to look at him properly, not even glancing his way, coupled with how he’s hurrying them along in a way he hasn’t done since the Kanagawa estate before Juno knew his real name, has Juno suspicious.

Juno is supposed to trust him. It should be so simple, to just let himself trust Nureyev. He’s done it before, and damn that trust has gone both ways. Nureyev trusts him too. Or did, once upon a time. What was it he has said upon their reunion? _I trust you Juno. With my life. But not my heart, not anymore._ Juno knows kind of how that feels, but he’s still desperately trying to put his faith in Nureyev even if he’s lost his faith in Juno.

They make it to the shipyard, and see a lone cruiser already taking off. Jet confirms that he’s piloting it, and directs Nureyev to a sleek silver vessel in the back of the docks. He and Juno have to speak now, to coordinate take off, but it’s all business. Nureyev walks Juno through preflight instructions as the copilot, but takes over the pilot’s duties for himself. Within minutes, they are in the air and following the other cruiser to the rendezvous point. Another hour and this whole thing will be over.

Strangely, the adrenaline hasn’t hit Juno yet. Their mission is going smoothly. What his nerves are actually screaming at him about is to be careful of Nureyev. He’s planning something, and Juno has to be ready. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen, but he knows for sure that it will end up breaking his heart.

“Hell yeaaahhh!” comes Vespa’s shout over the comms.

Even Buddy whoops a little before giving them an update. “Folks, we are in the air! No complications! Heading to the first generator now, we should be set to meet you at the fourth one as planned in twenty-six minutes. Have a _wonderful_ flight!”

“Copy that,” Nureyev says curtly, and actually takes his earpiece and mic off. Juno’s anxiety skyrockets. Everything is going as planned, yeah, but that’s no reason for Nureyev to relax. He would never jeopardize the job, though, so there must be a reason. He looks at Juno pointedly and gestures to his gear. Juno takes off his mic, but he leaves the earpiece in. Despite how suspicious his behavior, Juno keeps telling himself to trust him. He owes Nureyev that, at the very least.

At first, Nureyev doesn’t say anything. Then he opens his mouth as if to speak, but closes it again before anything comes out. Nureyev, speechless? Something is wrong. Juno decides to take the initiative. “Look, whatever is bothering you, we don’t have to talk about it. I can tell something’s up, but if it doesn’t matter right now, it can wait.”

Nureyev doesn’t relax, which means whatever this is probably isn’t mission related. It’s personal. He doesn’t get attached to things easily, and of all the people that Nureyev cares about in this galaxy, Juno is the only one here with him right now. It confirms Juno’s suspicions that he’s leaving. He wants to break it to him gently. Juno can appreciate the sentiment, but it would hurt worse than if he just left. It’s what Juno deserves.

“Juno, it’s not that I don’t want to talk about it—” Nureyev doesn’t get a chance to finish before Juno cuts him off.

Suddenly, Juno has the words he’s been searching for. Right now, in this moment, he can finally be honest with Nureyev. Not that he loves him or would die for him, although both of those things are true. No, Nureyev knows that already, even if Juno is shit at communicating it. What Nureyev doesn’t know, what he needs to know is— “I trust you,” Juno says plainly, “Completely. If you tell me right now that whatever you’re nervous about won’t affect what we’re doing here, then I’ll believe you.” He has to. It’s all he has left to offer Nureyev after everything he’s put him through is his trust.

Nureyev is still speechless. Taken aback, even. This is unprecedented from Juno. He knows his poker face is absolutely awful, and he used to curse how his expressive face would betray his emotions. Now that trait is his greatest asset. If he can convince Nureyev right here and now that he trusts him, like he’d asked him to so long ago, then maybe whatever is bothering him is something he can salvage.

Nureyev takes his sweet time to answer, but when he does it is with the usual tone that Juno has come to expect of him. “You choose now, when I’m so obviously hiding something from you, to trust me? Juno…”

“I’ve never been the brightest star in the solar system, alright? I mean it though.” Juno retorts.

Finally, Nureyev looks at him properly again. Then he starts to chuckle, and as has happened to them so many times before, the two of them devolve into bouts of laughter. It dies off, and so does some of the tension that has Nureyev pent up. It’s still unmistakably there, but more muted somehow. The silence resumes, ever awkward, but without the edge that was there before. “Juno,” Nureyev starts again, “For what it’s worth, I do trust you. More than anyone I’ve ever met.”

Juno’s heard this before. He doesn’t need the speech again. It’s still nice to hear him say it, even if it’s not as much as he used to trust him or in the same way. “Yeah,” Juno says, not wanting to invalidate Nureyev’s admission, “I know.” Juno forces his gaze away from Nureyev’s, not wanting him to see him tear up. Instead, he looks out the porthole to his right.

He feels Nureyev’s hand clasp over his own on the central console between them. Surprised, Juno flips his hand over on reflex and tangles his fingers in Nureyev’s. He expects Nureyev to pull away at that, but instead he grasps Juno’s hand more firmly and rubs his thumb up and down on the back of his hand.

Neither of them look at each other. It’s an intimate moment, and Juno refuses to ruin yet another one of these when it might be the last one. He doesn’t move, and he has to remind himself to breathe. A panic attack is coming, but with the warm comforting weight of Nureyev’s hand in his and the steady thrum of the engine beneath them, he stabilizes his breathing and grounds himself pretty well.

In the porthole he’s looking out of, Juno can see a faint reflection of Nureyev looking pointedly away from him as well. He’s careful not to jostle the hand holding Juno’s, but his shoulders are faintly shaking and his left hand is covering his face. He’s… crying? It’s the last thing Juno expected. All he wants to do is reach out and comfort him, but if he does then Nureyev will pull away entirely. What he can do is squeeze Nureyev’s hand a little tighter.

They stay locked together like that until the biggest ship Juno’s ever seen appears on the horizon in front of them. It’s the freighter. Nureyev has to use both his hands to navigate the cruiser into one of the landing bays on the freighter, but he pulls Juno’s hand up to lightly brush his lips over his knuckles in a ghost of a kiss. Juno stays looking away the entire time, but he can’t stop the choked reaction he has to that. They don’t talk about it.

They put their mics back on, Juno much more slowly than Nureyev. “Buddy, I am approaching the same landing bay Jet used. Is it still open?” Nureyev’s voice is composed as always and doesn’t betray a single hint of the last twenty minutes. Juno stays silent.

There’s a beat of silence and then static, and then it’s not Buddy but Vespa who responds. “Sorry, Buddy’s a little preoccupied. They’ve finally caught on to what’s happening, enemy attack vessels incoming. Use the same landing bay, but you’re gonna have to land fast to avoid taking fire.”

“Will do,” Nureyev responds curtly, and hits the throttle. “Jet, ready to close the doors as soon as we’re through?”

“I am already on it,” comes his monotone reply.

“Hold on Juno, this is going to be a little rough.”

Juno bites back a witty response, and clings to his armrests. He really, _really_ hates flying, and if the way Nureyev drives is any indication then this won’t be a pleasant experience. The freighter continues to grow larger in front of them as they approach, and Juno can only just barely make out the tiny blip of light that is the landing bay before laser fire starts hitting the ship. They don’t do any damage to the freighter, but even one of those blasts would be enough to completely destroy the cruiser.

Juno is suddenly very thankful for Nureyev’s preference for fast vehicles.

They have to dodge every which way and do all sorts of spins and sharp turns to avoid taking any fire, and by the time the cruiser skids to a halt inside the landing bay with the blast doors shut firmly behind them, Juno is nauseous. He doesn’t even make it to a bag before he loses his dinner. He’s also completely sober now, which is a feat considering how much champagne he drank earlier. 

Nureyev kindly leaves him to it, quickly exiting the cruiser to go help Jet secure the fourth antigrav generator that they just picked up. Two more to go, and then they can make a break for it to the stars. Status updates filter through Juno’s earpiece as he lies on the floor of the cruiser’s cockpit, enjoying its cool surface and trying to make the world stop spinning despite the rumbling of the freighter around him.

By the time they make it to the fifth generator, Rita has gotten defense systems up and running, with Vespa at the controls, and has made her way to the landing bay to help Juno. 

“Up we go, Mista Steel, let’s get you to the bridge. It’s much less shaky up there and we have some real nice meds to help your tummy.”

“Sounds nice. Can I nap?” Juno is whoozy and it’s taking a tremendous amount of energy to stay upright.

Rita checks his pulse and holds him a little closer. “You can nap when we get some meds and some water into ya, but first we gotta get to the bridge, okay? Here, lean on me.”

The sound of laser fire scratching the hull follows them all the way to the bridge, where Buddy is focused on flying the freighter, and Nureyev is busy with the magnetic claw they’ve been using to pick up the generators. Vespa is on some other deck, manning the guns, and Jet is presumably securing the antigrav generators as Nureyev is reeling them in.

Rita deposits Juno into a chair next to Buddy and hands him a bottle of water. She also hands him some pills that will help settle his stomach and makes him eat some crackers before he takes them. When Juno finally starts feeling alright again, the fifth generator is aboard and Vespa has managed to set up some kind of shielding around the hull. They’ll have to take it down in order to get the last generator onboard, but for the trip over the freighter is stable. 

Everyone has a moment to relax, and Buddy slumps into her chair the same way Juno is currently splayed out. Nureyev stays at attention at his console, making some last-minute adjustments and typing away furiously at the keyboard. Juno would have thought that there isn’t much to do with a crane when it isn’t in use, but Rita is also currently working her magic at a separate console doing who knows what.

“Darling, are we ready to pick up the sixth generator in the next ten minutes or so? We’re getting pretty wiped up here,” Buddy say into her earpiece.

Jet’s reply comes pretty much immediately. “Yes. There is room for the last generator in the same hangar as the others. Once they’re down, have Rita ready to contact the galactic humane society to come to Vali. They are no doubt keeping watch on the blockade, and will rush to aid this moon’s citizens, thereby facilitating our escape.”

“Thanks for the recap,” Juno musters, and downs the rest of his water.

“Cut the sass, Juno,” Vespa pipes up, sounding slightly out of breath. Manning defenses for a ship of this size all by herself is a herculean task, and it’s honestly more surprising that she’s not more exhausted than this yet. It’s nothing compared to her years as a debtor, and she’s finally getting revenge. “Rita might be getting communications open, but you’re the one who’ll be doing the talking.”

“Me?!” Juno exclaims. They’d been over this part of the plan before, but they didn’t want to assign a designated speaker in case something went wrong. Everyone was briefed and what needed to be said and what didn’t, but Juno had always it would be Vespa or Buddy or even Nureyev to deliver the final “fuck you” to the company that’s ruined so many lives.

“Yes, you,” Buddy snaps as she stretches out her fingers, getting ready for the next round. “Your voice is pleasant, and we need someone who won’t be preoccupied with getting us the hell out of here. You’re the only candidate right now.” Juno curses that he hadn’t learned more about tech sooner. He doesn’t want to broadcast his voice through this entire branch of the galaxy.

That’s how far their signal has to go. The end of the blockade on Vali doesn’t just herald freedom for its citizens, it reopens connections throughout this part of the galaxy. The debtors’ tag operations span the entirety of humanity at this point, at least after the war. The outer rim is going to experience a hell of a lot more freedom of their own, and other companies running similar operations will be more on edge. This will shape a generation.

And Juno’s voice will be tied to all that? He doesn’t have to announce his name or any of his cohorts. In fact, that was one of the things they explicitly agreed _not_ to do. But still, his voice will be recognizable, at least to people on Mars. If even one person gets a recording of the broadcast, it’ll be played on newstreams for years to come.

It’s actually kind of exhilarating. This must be how Nureyev felt back on Brahma, when he was just a kid on the verge of freeing his home from New Kinshasa. The pressure is monumental, of course, but this is exactly what Juno wanted. To make a difference, to do something truly good.

And all of a sudden, Juno lets go of all his regrets about leaving Mars. Whatever has happened to him, _because_ of him, has brought him here, to this moment. He’s made the right decision. This crew that he’s joined, it’s a family. They are doing good work together, and Juno gets to announce that to the world. His voice will be the one that carries that message to the stars. They are here to get revenge and to help people, and they are not to be messed with. They are a force to be reckoned with, and Juno is too.

And beyond that, Juno is so very grateful to have had Nureyev back again, even if for such a short time. As painful as the memory is now, and as guilty as Juno still feels about it, he doesn’t regret leaving Nureyev in that hotel room so long ago without a goodbye. It led him to Ramses, to laying his past demons to rest, and inevitably back to Nureyev. So yeah, he hates that he has to say goodbye again. But this time he’s not going to regret it.

Juno will say all the things he never did, even if he struggles to get the words out. He’s going to tell Nureyev exactly how he makes him feel, like the whole world melts away and that black hole inside him is finally satisfied. He will reassure him that he trusts him, completely and utterly. That he would give him the heart he now wears on his sleeve, that he already has and Nureyev can’t take it back because it’s Juno’s to give the same way Nureyev gave up his name. For the first time in decades, Juno will utter the phrase “I love you” even though he knows it will be received with an “I’m sorry” before he disappears. 

And perhaps even more importantly than all of that, Juno will say goodbye. It will be tearful and ugly and he’ll need a good hug from Rita afterwards, but he will say it. Nureyev deserves the world, more than that, and they both know it. He will wander to take it for himself, and Juno will stay behind gladly in order to give him that.

But before he can do all that, he has to become a revolutionary, just like Nureyev. Buddy is looking at him funny, probably waiting for a response. Juno realizes he’s gone into a world of his own just now. “Uh… Sorry, what did you say again?” he asks sheepishly, mind still reeling from his paradigm shift.

“I said,” Buddy repeats irritably, “You’re the one doing the broadcast. Are you okay to do it?”

“Yes!” Juno replies enthusiastically. This gets Nureyev to actually stop working away at his console. Okay, maybe Juno was a little too enthusiastic with that response, but the adrenaline has finally kicked in and he is so very ready to prove to the world that they are doing something good. Buddy just nods and gets ready to take the freighter off autopilot again, and Rita doesn’t even look up from her typing. Nureyev stares at him, and Juno tries to decipher what the bright, wild look in his eyes means.

Juno avoids his glare and goes back to his crackers, fighting off the last of his nausea. He catches a glance of himself in the shining metal of the bridge’s structure, and sees the same look in his own eyes. Best guess is that Nureyev must have just had some sort of emotional epiphany as well. 

“Here we go again!” Buddy calls out, and the operation to pick up the last generator begins. The ship begins to shake again now that the shield is down and they’re taking the enemy fire directly, but in almost no time the sixth antigravity generator is aboard and Buddy hits the throttle to get them out of there. The attack vessels don’t pursue them past the lower atmosphere, and as soon as they clear the moon’s gravity and pick up their actual ship in another hangar, Buddy gives Rita the go ahead and Rita hands Juno a microphone.

Jet and Vespa have rejoined them on the bridge at this point, and Juno looks at the newfound family gather behind him, takes a deep breath, and opens his mouth to speak to the galaxy.

“Addressing all citizens of this solar system and those beyond! I am speaking from a ship that has just disabled all of the antigravity generators on Vali!” He has to pause and take a few breathes after that. He’s shaking a little with nerves, and so is his voice. He tries not to let it show as he continues, “I repeat, the antigravity generators on Vali are no longer active. The blockade has been effectively lifted. All funding and investments made to the debtors’ tag program have been…” he pauses to find the right word, but also a little for dramatic effect. “Liberated. There will be no more profit from the lives of people who can’t afford their medical bills. The blockade is down on Vali, send any and all aid to its citizens. Please.” 

The please is an afterthought and Juno cringes at how awkward it comes out. He didn’t get it all out quite the way he wanted to, but the important part is that Vali gets the help it needs and that victims of the debtors’ tag operations know that they can no longer be held hostage by their radiation. Nobody speaks on the bridge. Juno doesn’t realize he’s holding his breath until he sees cargo ships and military vessels start arriving by the dozen and congregating in the airspace above Vali.

“We did it,” Vespa says quietly in disbelief.

“WE DID IT!” Rita echoes, very loudly.

Buddy bursts into tears with her wife in a display of the most emotion Juno has ever seen from her. Even Jet is surprised, and he’s a little teary eyed too. Juno steps away from the communications console to go join them, and Nureyev sweeps him into a crushing hug. Juno clings to the back of his shirt and isn’t ashamed to press his face into Nureyev’s neck. He inhales that ever-enticing cologne and hopes that it stays stuck on him for weeks on end like the last time. 

They separate to go and hug the others and cheer with Rita, but they stay within arm’s reach of each other the whole time, always brushing shoulder or touching in some way. Juno is a famous but nameless revolutionary now too, and he thinks Nureyev has made that connection as well. Of course he has, he’s always three steps ahead of Juno at everything.

“Well,” Buddy finally wipes away tears from her face and faces the group, Vespa still wrapped around her side, “I think a drink is in order to celebrate? Jet, I have a very special tea that I’ve been saving for you, too.”

There is a chorus of yeses, and the group departs for the ship that is their home in the upper hangar bay. They have to go through a set of airlocks to get there though, and Buddy explains that the freighter is actually capable of splitting into two, separately pilotable vessels. It’s standard on ships this size to have a failsafe if they need a small craft to land somewhere or if there’s an emergency and need to vent half the ship to save the other. Juno pays attention just enough to learn how the airlocks work so he doesn’t accidentally space himself.

They reach the ship Juno has learned to call home over the past month and a half, and Vespa pops a bottle of Venusian champagne in the common room while Buddy gets out the tea for Jet. Juno doesn’t quite catch the name of where it’s from, but from the gently shocked expression on Jet’s face, it’s something he recognizes and hasn’t had in years. He brews a large cup of it and joins the rest of them in their toast.

“To us!” Juno shouts, and is echoed by his friends.

They drain their first glasses very quickly except for Jet, who sips his tea slowly and methodically to savor every gulp. Everyone else gets seconds, and some (read: Juno) get thirds, and slow down a little. It’s like another game night, except they’re not playing or watching anything. They just sit around and celebrate, and Juno feels lighter than cloud. Rita escapes to the bathroom halfway through her second glass of champagne, and midway through a conversation she was having with Juno and Vespa.

Nureyev excuses himself soon after, breaking off a conversation with Jet, who somehow looks even more perturbed now. _What’s gotten into him?_ Juno wonders. No matter, probably thinking about his tea. It’s likely that it came from his homeworld or something. It’s none of Juno’s business, so he’ll ask about it when Jet feels willing to share.

“And where are you going, Mr. Glass? Have another glass! Get it?” Buddy calls out from the other side of the room. She finished her champagne and has moved onto harder liquors, and it shows.

“Sorry, Buddy, nature calls!” He laughs in that charming way that only Rex Glass seems capable of, locks eyes with Juno for a moment, and then he’s out of the room. The rest of them converge back at the coffee table and start discussing what they want to do with their share of the money. Rita joins them again relatively quickly, but after ten minutes Nureyev still hasn’t come back yet.

Juno isn’t the only one who’s noticed his prolonged absence. “Maybe he’s just getting something from his room? He did end up having to use the bathroom near it…”

“When have you ever known Glass to be inefficient about anything?” Buddy asks, still giggling into her tequila.

And that’s when the ball drops for Juno. He knows exactly what Nureyev was hiding from him, he can see it all so clearly, it’s almost like that Martian pill is back in his head. _No no no no no NO!_ “That _bastard!_ ” Juno shouts, glad he wasn’t holding his champagne glass or it would have shattered in his fist.

Juno sprints through the ship, out into the hangar, and back into the corridors towards the airlocks where the ship separates. He knew he should have been paying more attention to that but damn it he was high off of their victory and too distracted to process that information. It was the missing link that he needed to fit this all together. He prays that he can remember his way back to those airlocks. If he can just get through them before—

The airlocks are in sight, and through the porthole on the door, Juno can see the front portion of the freighter separate. The front half of the freighter, carrying the antigravity generators, is flying away right in front of him, and he’s powerless to stop it. There’s no way Nureyev could have gotten to the bridge and programmed the logistics for this so quickly. It would be impossible. Except all he had to do was reach the bridge because he’d done all of the programming earlier! _Damn it Steel, how could you be so stupid?!_

The freighter separates ever slowly, as the momentum from the back half with shut off engines decelerates and the front half keeps going. It’s only a few inches right now, but in the vacuum of space those inches are miles. He can’t bridge that gap without an EVA suit and by the time he finds one of those it will be too late. He remembers Nureyev yanking off his earpiece and mic in the cruiser to talk to Juno. That wasn’t supposed to be an emotional heart to heart, that was a goodbye!

He better not have taken his comms out again, or Juno might actually kill him. Juno opens up a private channel between them and hopes that Nureyev can still hear him. “Damn it Nureyev, what the hell are you doing?” Juno knows there’s only one thing Nureyev could want such incredibly powerful antigravity generators for, but he has to ask anyway. He needs to hear Nureyev admit that he’s leaving out loud. Why won’t he answer?

Juno waits a moment, giving him a fair chance to say something, but there’s no reply. Juno’s heart is about to burst and he can’t take this, he can’t—this is too much. He was going to say goodbye, that’s all he wants! Nureyev can leave, but not like this. Dear god, not like this. He’s going to get himself killed if he follows through with this plan by himself. Juno can’t let that happen, he won’t. “Nureyev,” he tries again in a smaller voice, about to shatter. “Please tell me you can hear me. You don’t have to go like this, let us help you! I know what you’re trying to do, and you don’t have to do it alone!”

Thankfully, Nureyev responds this time. “Juno, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I thought it would be best to…” He trails off.

“To what?! Get payback by leaving me without a goodbye? I know how much that fucking hurts already! You’re not that cold.”

“I thought it would be best to leave the rest of you out of this. This is my fight, and I finally have what I need to win it. You’re more than welcome to follow me, but by the time you get the engines on that part of the ship running properly, it’ll likely all be over already. I have to do this alone. It’s how it should be.”

“No, NO!” Juno cries, banging on the airlock door, knowing it won’t do anything. Rita and Vespa have caught up to him now and realization dawns on their faces as Jet and Buddy join them and they watch the front half of the freighter moving away before them. Nureyev can leave but not before Juno has a chance to tell him—to say—to have a proper goodbye! “This is selfish and you know it!”

The moment those words are out of Juno’s mouth he realizes what a hypocrite he is. It’s only confirmed by Nureyev’s shaky voice at the other end of the line. “You of all people don’t get to judge me for leaving like this. I have to leave. I’m just sorry it couldn’t be on better terms.” All of their baggage comes down to this, then. All of the work the both of them put into steadily rebuilding their rapport, and Nureyev had set a timer on it from the beginning.

No wonder he’d been sending Juno all those mixed signals. He knew he was going to have to leave after this, and he never planned on bringing any of them with him. Juno understands the sentiment, but he’s tried to do the stupid self-sacrificial thing to save a planet full of people before and it really wasn’t enjoyable. It’s poetic really, that this time it is Juno locked on the other side of a door, unable to help this man that he feels so much for, knowing he likely won’t make it back alive. “I’m so _so sorry_ for what I did but you don’t have do the same thing. Please come back, we can talk it out, we can help you. I’ll do anything!” _Don’t make the same mistake I did._

“Juno, darling, my petulant detective, love of my life,” Nureyev whispers into Juno’s ear. Their channel is private, so the others can’t hear what he’s saying but they can hear how Juno chokes on a sob at his words. Nureyev makes a similar noise, and Juno can almost see his pained, tearful face on the bridge from here. “My dearest Juno,” he continues, voice shaking, “let me go.”

“I can’t do that, _please don’t ask me to do that! Peter—_ ” but Juno doesn’t get to finish his sentence before the feed cuts out with a hiss. Nureyev probably didn’t even hear that last part. “ _NO!_ ” Juno shouts, and pounds on the door one last time for good measure before sliding down the side of it in anguish, letting the comms fall from his hand.

The others stand silent behind him, understanding only that Nureyev is gone. The half of the freighter that they’re in holds their ship and the two sleek cruisers that they stole, and the one Nureyev took has the antigravity generators. Worth nothing to them, in the long run now, but Juno knows exactly what Nureyev wants them for. What he wanted from this heist all along. He didn’t even have his share of the creds they stole yet.

“Mista Steel…” Rita crouches next to him and tries to give him a hug, but Juno shrugs her off. He doesn’t like doing it, but he needs his space to breathe at the moment. 

“Juno, I’m not going to pretend I know what’s going on here, but you must have some idea. The name you just used… It’s not an alias of his we’re familiar with” Buddy says gently, also crouching down but respecting Juno’s space. 

Juno realizes he’s let Nureyev’s name slip. His most precious secret, his only weakness, and Juno has broken Nureyev’s trust. The only thing he hadn’t yet hurt Nureyev with, and he’s gone and done it just after he swore he’d never let Nureyev down again. He’s a fool. 

But Juno won’t let this stop him. Nureyev is too important, and no matter what he says, he’s going to need their help for whatever it is he has planned. “We have to go after him!” Juno is invigorated. He is determined to make this up to Nureyev and to stop him from being so utterly stupid as to throw his life away rather than accept help from his new crew, from his _family_. And after they do that, Juno is going to tell him all the things he’d been planning to say and then some.

“But how?” Vespa asks. ‘We have no idea where he’d going, and if he was going to tell us he wouldn’t have tricked us.”

“He’s going to Brahma,” Juno says with absolute conviction. There’s only one place he could be taking those antigravity generators. With them in place on Brahma, he can destroy New Kinshasa without worrying about it falling onto the planet below. Not only that, but they’d never be able to control the people of Brahma again. With the generators under control of the citizens, they’ll have a powerful way to defend themselves from unwanted interference. But that’s only if Nureyev manages to pull this off, which might be a suicide mission on his own.

Everyone around him looks confused, including Rita. She knew that Juno had more information about Nureyev than he was letting on, but the extent of it is far more than she could ever imagine. Jet is confused, more so than Juno every thought possible. “Brahma is one of the furthest planets of the outer rim, and they have that Angel system—” And then something clicks inside of Jet’s head, and he mouths the name ‘Peter’ silently, echoing what Juno had cried out earlier. He clearly knows where this is going, if he knows about New Kinshasa and the legend of the revolutionary from that planet.

Juno’s conviction grows. None of them have questioned that they should chase after him. They are on his side, and they want Nureyev back too. Juno has a lot of explaining to do, and after the dick move Nureyev just pulled, Juno feels justified in sharing his story, the relevant parts anyway. After all, he did give Juno his name. He never told him what to do with it.

Juno looks back through the porthole of the airlock behind him to see the front half of the freighter disappearing into the stars with Brahma’s supposed savior onboard. “Let me tell you a story about the Angel of Brahma, and a man named Peter Nureyev.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments always appreciated. Note that this is unbetaed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! I am happy to announce that this is the third to last chapter of my fic! I will be posting consecutively for the next two weeks, and then maybe adding an epilogue (although that might just end up as part of the last chapter so don't hold me to that) but that means this story will be finished JUST before season 3 starts! I'm so excited to see where the story actually goes, but thank you all so very much for enjoying what I've written <3  
> I am also updating tags these weeks, for things that I really should have done already and for stuff that will be relevant in the next few chapters. If there is anything you're sensitive about, I highly recommend checking the tags as they're updated, but you may get story spoilers because of it. You have been warned.   
> That's all for me this week! Enjoy the update!
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> Amaryllis- Shinedown  
> I Wanna Get Better- ATC Cover  
> Put 'Em Up- Priory

Juno would have started the explanation right then and there on the cold corridor floor, but Rita refused to listen to anything he had to say until he stopped shaking. So she take his hand gently and starts guiding him back to their ship, Buddy and Vespa close behind. He doesn’t feel that bad, but apparently he’s shaking like a leaf, and Vespa’s quick diagnosis tells them he’s in shock. Huh. Who’d have guessed.

The whole walk back, Rita is a blubbering mess, and Juno feels like he should be too, but he’s too pissed at Nureyev to feel anything else right now. Later, he will have time to be heartbroken again, when everyone is up to speed and they are on their way after him, but at the moment he is numb. “So he’s Peter Nureyev? After all these years, this is what he’s been up too…” Jet speaks his thoughts aloud.

“You know the story?” Juno asks. 

“Yes. I visited Brahma only once, but the name of their favorite revolutionary is a hard one to forget when many of their people speak it despite punishment being the pain of death,” Jet says, “Although I never suspected _he_ could be Nureyev. It makes sense, though; he was always very secretive about his true identity. Until you, apparently.”

“Yeah. Until me,” Juno repeats, and then they are back at their ship. Rita sits down with Juno on the couch, and Vespa finds all the heaviest blankets to throw over his shoulders. Buddy gets them all some tea, and then it’s time for Juno to share what he knows.

Part of him is reluctant to tell Nureyev’s story. The way he learned it, by witnessing it all firsthand, makes it deeply personal not only to Nureyev but also to him. His identity is the only thing he had, and he never shared it with anyone besides Juno. That kind of gift is hard to give up, and Juno feels selfish for wanting to continue being its only guardian. But Nureyev has gone off to return to Brahma, and that anonymity will die anyway. For that reason, and for the fact that this crew will need to know all of the details in order to help him, he tells them the story of what happened on Brahma.

“New Kinshasa is basically a floating city above the planet that watches everyone below. Anyone steps out of line, they get eliminated immediately. Not the best place to live, even if you aren’t a criminal. When Nureyev was young, he and a man named Mag conned their way onto New Kinshasa and tried to bring it down, only when they deactivated it, it started to fall. It was going to crush the city below.” Juno gives them the quickest rundown he can without losing any of the details.

“Nureyev wanted to stop it, but Mag decided that the loss of a few was acceptable to save so many others. Collateral damage. Nureyev disagreed, they had a fight, and uh, Mag didn’t make it.” Here Juno has to pause a moment. He doesn’t want to reveal the personal nature of Nureyev’s and Mag’s relationship. He may not want to admit it, but Mag was a father to him, even if he was a murderous liar. He doesn’t want to go into detail, but he doesn’t everyone’s picture of Mag to be that of a killer. “Mag was… complicated. There’s more to it, but that’s not my story to tell.”

Jet doesn’t look like he’s heard that part of the story. It’s no wonder, with what Nureyev did next. “Nureyev got New Kinshasa up and running again so it wouldn’t crush anyone, but that’s when security busted in. He didn’t have time to find another way to destroy New Kinshasa, but he gave a pretty big speech threatening to tear it down one day and that Peter Nureyev would become a banner for the people to rally under. That’s the part that’s famous, especially on Brahma.”

“It is online,” Jet says, pulling out his comms unit and sending the display to the big screen that Rita modified. A paused video of a very young Nureyev with a tearstained face and a determined smirk midshout comes up. Juno had never thought to look for the video, even though he knew it existed. From Nureyev’s memories, he had seen the security cameras recording the whole thing. He knew it was broadcasted at some point, but he had no reason to watch it when he’d seen it all firsthand. With a start, Juno realizes he’d never actually seen what Nureyev’s face looked like at that age. He couldn’t be more than nineteen here, so young and idealistic.

Jet looks to Juno for a cue to play it and Juno nods, thankful to have gotten a warning. The scene plays out almost exactly like Juno remembers seeing it in Nureyev’s memories. But the room isn’t quite as red, and Mag’s body isn’t in frame. The speech is the same though, and then Nureyev just disappears, his name still lingering in the air. This is the legacy he has gone back to fulfill. 

“So that’s why he took the antigravity generators!” Vespa has figured out what his plan is.

“Yeah. If he sets them up on Brahma, he can deactivate New Kinshasa without any consequences, and they’ll never be able to control the citizens again,” Juno confirms.

“He’s a GENIUS!” Rita exclaims, pumping her fist in the air. Juno is glad to see that she’s completely onboard with who Nureyev really is. Hell, she’s probably proud of Juno for falling for a guy like him instead of the usual sleezy dirtbags. The approval in her eyes makes Juno’s heavy heart feel a little bit lighter. 

“Yes, that he is,” Buddy says, “But why steal them from us? We would have given them gladly if he asked; hell, we would’ve helped him.”

Juno’s immediate answer would have been ‘because I left him once’ if he didn’t think better of it. No need to air their dirty laundry at a time like this, although Rita knows that part of their story. She squeezes his shoulder in a rare display of silent solidarity. Instead, Juno replies with “He feels like it’s his responsibility. He doesn’t want to drag anyone else into it, not after what happened with Mag.” And he knows that’s the truth too. Not that Nureyev would kill any of them, on purpose or otherwise, and none of them would do what Mag had tried to do.

But Juno understands the feeling well. He felt like he had to save Oldtown on his own too, even if he knew he didn’t have to. Rita and Mick made him understand that, and now it’s his turn to pass that knowledge onto Nureyev. He doesn’t have to be alone anymore, in any sense. Yes, Juno wants to help him save the people of Brahma from New Kinshasa’s tyranny, but chasing after Nureyev is selfish of him too. He doesn’t want to let him go, no matter how much he was preparing himself for just that.

After the last words Nureyev has said to him, he’s finally sure that their relationship can be fixed. Made better, even.

But he still doesn’t have time to dwell on that, not until they’re on their way after him. Which is where the problem lies. “Okay, so we have to chase after this idiot. How are we going to do that? We’ll never get this half of the freighter up and running in time to make a difference,” Vespa says.

“Ooh! What about our ship? We already live on it, who says we gotta take this whole thing?” Rita chirps.

“Theoretically that is a good idea,” Jet says, “however, in order to reach the speeds that the freighter is capable of reaching, we would be pulling a dangerous amount of Gs.” Juno has to do a double take at the fact that the phrase ‘pulling some Gs” just came out of Jet’s mouth. Regardless, he can see how that might be a problem.

“We can restock on gas and food from the cruisers, but he’s right. We wouldn’t be able to go fast enough without injuring ourselves,” Buddy adds.

“Oh but—” Rita starts, and Juno actually has an idea of where she’s going. “ _The inertial dampeners!_ ” They exclaim simultaneously. Juno may not understand much about all this engineering and tech stuff, but the one thing that’s really been driven into him over the course of his space traveling experience is how much he wishes the inertial dampeners on the ship also worked on people. Which Rita fixed them to do. Which means they can ignore the effects of inertia, and Gs are a nonissue.

“Oh. Oh! Miss Rita is correct, this is a nonissue,” Jet states.

It takes Buddy and Vespa a few seconds longer to catch on, but when they do they are whipped into motion. “Honey, will you—” Buddy starts, but Vespa is already running towards the bay with the cruisers.

“Already on it!” She shouts back. “I’ll grab the food! Jet, Juno, grab some big empty tanks from storage over there and come with me; you’re on gas duty!”

“Got it!” Juno finally has a task, and he runs faster than he has since the Theia was inside his head. Jet follows silently, and within minutes they are off to siphon gas from the cruisers.

“Rita, you’re with me!” Buddy says, halfway up the ramp into the ship’s cargo bay. “Run diagnostics on the ship’s systems, and find a way to keep those inertial dampeners running for at least six days. It should only take us five to get there, but I want the extra juice just in case.”

“Gotcha!” Rita responds, and bustles into the ship as well.

In less than an hour, they are prepped to launch. Buddy sets the freighter’s autopilot to return to Vali and hover in orbit, leaving a recorded message in the blackbox that they are returning it to the moon’s citizens as an act of good faith. Jet is slightly reluctant to leave such nice cruisers on board, but he does it with grim determination. Nureyev means a lot to him too, if the story Juno was told is true.

And then they’re off. It’s been an eventful day for everyone, and the adrenaline is finally starting to wear off. Rita dozes off in the sitting room and Jet offers to carry her to her room before he heads to bed, and Buddy and Vespa each give Juno a big hug before they go off themselves. They’re familiar with forced separation the same way Juno is, and he appreciates their support.

Juno isn’t ready to sleep, though. He can feel his body crashing, but he’s not in a place to deal with it yet, so he heads up to the navigation room to look at the stars. He can just see the freight they leave behind out of the glass ceiling before it disappears from view. Like Buddy said, the ship’s navigational computer informs Juno that the trip will take a little under five days. 

He lies down in the pile of pillows and blankets that hasn’t been disturbed since he was last here with Nureyev, before everything went to shit. That was the last night they had to be honest together. Was that a goodbye too? Nureyev had clearly been planning to take these antigravity generators from the beginning. Juno certainly can’t fault him for that. But if Juno had behaved differently the last time they were in this room, was there a chance that Nureyev would have told them all the truth and asked for help? Juno is responsible for making Nureyev feel like he had to run off like that, he just knows it.

And all of a sudden, the floodgates break open and Juno feels all of the anger and hurt he’d been suppressing since Nureyev’s mic cut off. He buries his face in the pillows that still smell faintly of Nureyev’s cologne. That stupid fucking cologne that lingers for weeks and never stops haunting him. Juno should have seen this coming. He kind of did, but not like this.

Nureyev leaving because it just wasn’t working out with Juno he could understand. That’s what he was expecting. For it to be related to the job? Juno supposes he should have been expecting that too. After all, that’s how they met in the first place. One of them always leaves without warning; it was just Nureyev’s turn. And after what Juno pulled by walking out in that hotel room, this is probably what he deserves.

Juno isn’t sure which idea is worse: Nureyev leaving to get revenge on Juno for that night or Nureyev leaving him behind because he just isn’t confident that Juno could handle himself on Brahma. Hell, maybe it was both. Nureyev certainly doesn’t want the rest of the crew to get hurt, but Juno is different. He’s always been the exception to every rule Nureyev has ever made for himself. _Doesn’t want to get us involved? Sure, but with the others it’s because he doesn’t want to drag them into his mess. I just don’t make the cut._

Belated, Juno realized the pillows are wet and by proxy, so is his face. He’s crying again and he’s too exhausted to notice the tears coming from his eye. Hell, even his eyepatch is wet, and there’s no eye under it for the tears to come from. Juno reaches up to take the eyepatch off and look at it. It’s the one Nureyev had made for him, with the embroidery on it. Dahlias and roses. It’s more of an inside joke than anything else at this point, but he knows they mean Nureyev still cares about him. He did send Juno those very flowers for his birthday. Juno had meant to confront him about that too.

It’s the little things like this that have kept Juno hanging onto his feelings for Nureyev by a thread. No matter how bad they are at their relationship, the foundation its built on is strong. There’s love at the core, and everything else can be worked on. Juno’s had enough shitty partners to know what the real deal looks like, and that’s Nureyev. The month with him after their reunion has just solidified what Juno had already started to suspect: that he’s absolutely ruined for anyone else.

He clutches the eyepatch tightly to his heart. Nureyev’s last gift to him. _We’re going to catch up to you. I won’t let you go like this._

His whole life, Juno has been running. Away from Oldtown, away from his mom, away from his past, away from good things, away from Nureyev. He’s still running now, away from Mars. Juno can dress it up however he likes, but he’s always been trying to outrun the things behind him that terrify him. Chasing after Nureyev now, to Brahma, Juno is still running. But it’s different, because he’s running _toward_ something. Towards a planet he’s never seen, towards people that need his help, towards the man he loves. He’s still terrified, yeah, but he’s going to keep running anyway. It’s what he’s always done, and there’s no reason to stop now.

* * *

_Juno is falling. He is falling very quickly down the side of a cliff in the middle of the desert, the precipice where he had been dangling moments before already so far above him. He can barely see the shadow of a man standing on it and peering down at him, but Juno can’t see who it is. He knows that he should know this man. He can feel a name on the tip of his tongue, but Juno has forgotten it._

_Maybe this man doesn’t have a name at all._

_But the man on the precipice right now isn’t what’s important. Juno is barreling towards the ground with no way to stop himself. The nice voice in his head asks if he wants help, and he tells it no. “Are you sure? Chances of survival without my help are very low.”_

_“Get out of my head!” Juno shouts. He twists his body so he can look down at where he’s falling instead of up to the edge of the cliff. The ground isn’t even within sight yet, he’s so far up. God, but he hates heights though._

_He may have been able to turn his body around, but it was only with tremendous strength. That voice in his head still has a hold on his limbs. He can’t try to reach out for the cliffside or even wave his arms in panic. “Give up control, let me help you,” the voice says._

_Juno doesn’t want help. If he’s going to die, he’s going to do it on his own terms. Besides, whatever this thing is already has control of his body. The only thing left for it to take over is his mind, and then what would Juno be? He’d be nothing. Nobody._

_“But you already are. There is no good in dying as yourself when you can live as a better version of yourself,” the voice negotiates._

_“A better version of me, huh? As far as I can tell, you’re the one who got me into this mess,” Juno retorts. But the ground is getting closer, even if Juno can’t see it yet, and the extreme height coupled with the perpetual sensation of falling is starting to get to him. “Is there anything you can do without taking over my head?”_

_“Juno Steel. This is not a mind control device.” The voice morphs from a pleasant feminine tenor to a lower timbre that seems to have come from an elderly man. Juno likes this voice even less. “It is still you. It’s always been you.” And then, more disturbingly, into Juno’s own voice._

_He can see the ground now, rushing up to meet him. But if Juno has always been the one in control, if he was behind that voice all along, then he got himself into this mess. He’s the reason all this is happening. Juno was never being controlled in the first place, he was controlling himself. Making nonsensical and dangerous decisions and wow the ground is getting really really close now, maybe he should—_

* * *

It’s normal for people to wake in the middle of the night to the sensation of falling every once in a while, but doing so after a nightmare about _actually falling_ is a first for Juno. He wakes with a start, eye wide open and heart racing. It’s not even a panic attack like what usually follows a dream like this. He doesn’t bother to sit up, choosing instead to just lie there on the floor, staring out at the stars above him. 

He feels like he knows why there’s no panic attack this time. These dreams have been terrifying, but now Juno is just resigned. The epiphany he had in his dream is one that he should have had in real life a long time ago. Juno may have addressed his trauma as it pertains to his brother and his mom, but he hasn’t processed everything with the Theia yet. Sure he dealt with Ramses—Jack—but that’s not the thing that’s been bothering him about the Theia. Before it started hurting Mick, it had actually started to sound appealing.

And that’s the thing that gets him, because if he’s not in control of his own happiness and his own actions, then it’s not his fault when something bad happens, to him or anyone else. Supposedly the Theia wouldn’t make bad decisions either. There would only be good in his life. As much as Juno hates using the word ‘good’ now he still thinks about the appeal of having something to fall back on, a failsafe to catch him if he falls.

Juno doesn’t have anyone but himself to blame for the bad things he’s done. Yeah, a lot of fucked up shit has happened in his life to lead him to make those decisions, but at the end of the day he still made them, and that’s on him. All he can do is try to do better, and keep trying. He can’t blame any sort of Theia unit if things go wrong when he’s responsible for himself. 

But that also means that he can’t blame himself for the things other people have done. He’s not at fault. It sucks that Nureyev left him behind, but that was his decision to make, not Juno’s. Juno doing the same thing to him earlier may have factored into that decision, but that doesn’t define it. Juno had his reasons for that, and Nureyev has his.

The anger and hurt from the night before dissipate in Juno’s chest, along with another inscrutable emotion he’s been carrying around for a while now. He feels lighter, and chuckles to himself. This is what he’s been missing out on? The solution is so simple. He’s forgiven Nureyev for leaving. Sure, he was going to do that anyway, after a lot of posturing and probably a couple more months of awkward conversation, but Juno just doesn’t have the time to wallow in all of that. He’d rather spend that time _being_ with Nureyev than being angry with him.

More than that, Juno forgives himself, something he’s never even thought about doing before. It feels so good. He knows how to hold himself accountable, but that doesn’t mean that he also has to keep suffering for his misdeeds. Being mean to himself has only been holding him back, and he’s so very tired of that. He wants to make progress, and he’s going to make an effort. He does have a kind-of failsafe when he falls: it’s Rita and Jet and Vespa and Buddy and Nureyev. They stand behind him and will help him to keep doing the right thing, just like he’s there for them.

Determination bolstered, Juno rolls over in bed and picks up his comms unit to search for information on Brahma online. He wants to be as prepared as possible when they arrive, and that means knowing everything about the situation there before he arrives. More than that, though, Juno looks for any mention of the name Peter Nureyev. He never let himself do that before, but now it’s time. When they arrive on Brahma in a few days, Juno will be ready to spring in to action, and for once he gets to be the one to save Nureyev’s ass instead of the other way around.

_Let me go_ , Nureyev had said. Like Juno could ever do that.

Juno stays in the navigation room until he can’t ignore the sound of his growling stomach anymore. It’s about six in the morning the next day, according to ship’s time, and Juno realizes that he’s been asleep for an entire day. Four more days until they arrive at Brahma.

He goes to the kitchen and is surprised to see the lights on and hear something hissing on the stove. It’s too early for anyone to be up, but it would be hypocritical of Juno to comment on that. Instead, he yawns to announce his presence and makes his way into the room.

Jet stands at the stove, boiling water in the kettle for tea. It’s the same kind Buddy gave him after they left Vali, and Juno makes a mental note to look out for it later. Not that he wants to pry into where it’s from or why it’s important to Jet, but if Jet likes it this much then it would be a good thing to have on the ship. “Good morning,” he says to Juno, not even turning around.

“Morning,” Juno responds and sits down at the counter. “Mind if I try a sip of that? It smells really good.” Juno’s never really been a tea person, but he isn’t lying. It really does smell great, and the last thing he needs right now is caffeine. He’s way to strung out for that.

“Not at all,” Jet replies and pulls out a second mug from the cupboard. “This particular tea is very good for nerves, and it does have a very enticing aroma.” It all sounds good to Juno.

He’s actually kind of glad he has a chance to talk to Jet alone. He was acting fidgety right before Nureyev left to steal the generators, and it’s been festering at the back of Juno’s mind. He knows that Jet would never do anything to endanger Buddy. Hell, he even sold the Ruby 7 to cover her medical bills once upon a time. That by extension goes for the rest of the crew, so he knew Nureyev wasn’t going to hurt any of them. But what did they talk about while they were celebrating? Juno has to know.

“Hey Jet, can I ask you something?”

“You already have.” Juno should have expected a response like that.

“No I mean—ugh, how do I put this—okay, how much did you know about Nureyev’s plan, right after the heist?”

Jet’s hands still, and he stops pouring the tea. He waits just a moment, and then sighs and turns around to hand Juno a cup of tea and take a sip of his own. “You are a detective. I noticed that he was acting strangely, and I asked him about it. He called in a favor I wasn’t expecting so soon. He… he told me that he was leaving and didn’t want to make a big deal of it. I assumed that he would take one of the cruisers but… well, he didn’t.”

“That’s a pretty big favor, Jet, mind me asking what it was?”

“The Ruby 7.” Juno’s glad he got some of that tea now. The last piece of the puzzle falls into place. There’s no way Nureyev would have just given that ridiculous car back to Jet; he would have bargained for shared custody. But from the moment Juno stepped onto the ship, Jet has been the one in charge of the Ruby 7. 

Juno doesn’t say anything, and Jet explains further. “I called him to ask if he wanted to help us with a job, and when Vespa explained the situation on Vali he agreed to join us. He’s the one who came up with the plan. When we picked him up from the Eridanus system, he drove the Ruby 7 into the hangar and gave me the keys. He said it was a gift, but that he wouldn’t with us long and he would call in the favor before he left. I had no idea it would be so soon.”

It’s about what Juno expected, but it still pisses him off that he didn’t notice that detail about the Ruby 7 earlier. He knows he wouldn’t have been able to piece Nureyev’s plan together with just that, but maybe it would have tipped him off to something else and he could have figured it out sooner, before it was too late. He can hear how sorry Jet is about it to. “I don’t hold it against you. He was going to leave on way or another, the least we can do is go after him,” Juno says, and gives Jet a comforting clap on the shoulder.

Jet smiles, and drinks more of his tea. “Thank you, Juno. I am sorry that I kept warning you about him when you knew more about him than any of us. I was only attempting to protecting your feelings for when he left.”

“I appreciate it, big guy, but there’s no one in the universe that can stop how I feel about him now.” It’s the sappiest thing Juno has ever said, fueled by his physical and emotional exhaustion, but Jet doesn’t comment on that. He’s not the type.

What he says instead is: “I know. It is very obvious how you feel about each other.”

“Gee thanks,” Juno retorts, and goes back to his tea as well. They don’t say anything else, but the silence is comfortable.   
At least until Rita joins them and gets started on breakfast. Then Buddy and Vespa join them, and they get started on their plan for Brahma.

They can’t do much other than research and theorize about how to get onto New Kinshasa. The best idea they come up with is just to go where the freighter is, and if the antigravity generators are already in place, board New Kinshasa. Juno thinks he remembers how to get to the red room that holds the core.

The rest of the days pass in a blur, everyone taking turns to force Juno to get some sleep in his own bed. Juno knows more about Brahma than he does about Mars at this point, and he doesn’t feel ready in the slightest, but finally Buddy comes on over the intercom to tell everyone to come to the cockpit.

They come out of their sublight arc, and Brahma looms before him. It’s time to bring Nureyev home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind that this work is unbetaed! If there are any glaring mistakes, please let me know, but I do not accept story-based criticism.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright folks. This is the big one. The stuff that happens in this chapter is the idea that sparked this entire fic. What I wanted for Nureyev and for Brahma, and inevitably also from Juno, started with a few lines I thought up and sent to the friend who first got me into TPP, and resulted in the monster I wrote. Hold onto your pants because this chapter is a doozy. Can you guess which exact lines are the centerpiece for this entire fic? I'm interested to see if I made it obvious enough. Oh, and if you haven't been doing it for the other chapters, from here on out I would definitely suggest taking a look at the recommended listening.
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> I Won't Give Up- Jason Mraz  
> Jackie and Wilson- Hozier  
> Warning Call- CHVRCHES  
> Running Like Colors- A Story Told

Brahma is gorgeous. It’s larger than Juno had expected for what’s basically a backwater colony in the outer rim, and only slightly larger than Vali. The photos he saw online during his research pale in comparison to the real deal. Jewel toned biomes and oceans cover the planet’s surface, and there’s very little cloud cover. Some cities are visible from orbit, but other than that the landscape looks almost untouched. Brahma recovered from the war better than a lot of the other outer rim planets, but that was largely due to the bureaucracy on New Kinshasa. Citizens could either work long hours to support the planet’s economy and government, or they could die. That’s an easy choice for most.

Speaking of New Kinshasa, the massive floating city comes into view as their ship descends into the atmosphere. It is sleek in design and sends a chill down Juno’s spine. There’s an eery yellow-green glow encompassing the rounded bottom of the city, and tall spires sprout from the top. Juno can’t help but wonder if music still filters into its buildings from the city square below it. It’s been so long since Nureyev was last here, but Juno experienced that memory as his own only a little over a year ago. To him, it is so very fresh, and he feels that righteous anger that belongs to Nureyev boil up inside him.

As they get closer, Juno notices a blinking buoy far out in the distance. He looks for more of them, and sees seven more within range of the naked eye. They blink in tandem with a light on the tallest building on New Kinshasa, and he connects the dots. Literally. These buoys are extensions of the Angel system, allowing the people in charge on New Kinshasa to monitor the entirety of Brahma and dole out punishment as they see fit. 

“Has anyone spotted the freighter yet?” Vespa asks, leaning out of her seat to look a little bit closer.

“Maybe we got here before him?” Rita responds. She’s been craning her neck to peer out the windows on the sides.

Juno’s not having much luck with his search, and by the frustrated huff coming from Buddy he’s guessing she can’t see anything either. “Darling, check and see if those antigravity generators are up and running already. Their power signature should still be stored in the ship.”

“Yes, Buddy,” Jet says. He moves over to the comms panel behind the pilot’s chair and pulls energy readings up on the screen. Six small blue dots pop up over the surface of the planet, equidistantly place. “They are in position on the planet, but they are not online yet. He must be waiting to activate them when he’s ready to take New Kinshasa offline.”

It’s a smart plan. But that means Nureyev had to be on the way to New Kinshasa, if he isn’t there already. The Angel’s systems wouldn’t know to look for antigravity generators so smuggling them to the surface couldn’t have been super difficult, but sooner or later they’ll pick up that something is wrong. Likely sooner, so Nureyev would want to act as quickly as possible.

But they still can’t see the freighter from orbit. Did he take a different ship to get to New Kinshasa? He wouldn’t be able to sneak his way in. This is the one place in the galaxy where a new name won’t work. He’s too recognizable, so how the hell would he get onboard?

And that’s when Rita shouts, “OOH! Ooh! I see it, it’s over there!” Sure enough, coming out of Brahma’s horizon and backed by the light from its sun, the front half of the freighter appears. It’s almost impossible to see and Juno has to squint to even make out its outline, but it’s there. It’s also going ridiculously fast, and it’s headed straight for the base of New Kinshasa.

He’s going to get aboard by ramming it with the freighter. Smart.

But that doesn’t leave them a lot of time to come up with a plan to join him. Juno knows he isn’t capable of helping out when it comes to solving engineering problems like this, so he stands to the side and watches the freighter get closer and closer while everyone else scrambles to mobilize the ship for close quarters. Unlike the freighter, this one is actually kind of important to them, so they want it to come out of this unscathed. That, and it’s their only escape route.

After only a few minutes, Jet and Rita have managed to make a plan that won’t get any of them killed. It feels like an eternity to Juno, and the only thing he understands of the explanation is that they’re going to dock the ship somewhere near the center of New Kinshasa. Juno studied the available blueprints and layouts, he knows there’s no ship bay anywhere near the center, but he doesn’t question them. He learned not to question Rita long ago.

And then they’re off, barreling towards New Kinshasa at nearly the same speed as the freighter but approaching from the opposite side. If they don’t get aboard within a few moments of Nureyev, then this quick catch up of theirs will have been for nothing. Juno quietly focuses on remembering exactly where the red room and the core were located. He’s not so sure of himself anymore, but he’s the only one who can do this.

Juno has to remember that he’s a revolutionary now too. This isn’t just about him and Nureyev anymore, it’s bigger than that, much bigger. But that doesn’t mean that either of them has to die to get this done, especially Nureyev. The both of them know there’s no easy way of New Kinshasa, and coming here alone was a suicide mission on Nureyev’s part. Juno knows exactly how he felt now, locked on the other side of the door in Miasma’s base. But unlike Nureyev, he can still get in.

Nureyev’s specialty is disappearing, but Juno’s specialty is showing up unannounced and uninvited. Polar opposites, yet they work so well together. Juno can only hope that Nureyev won’t try to shut him out when they show up like this. They can see the freighter, but Nureyev won’t be able to see their ship. It’s much too small, and without being backed by the sun they may as well be invisible. New Kinshasa won’t even care that they’re picking up such a relatively small ship on their scanners when the massive freighter in front of them is a much bigger and more obvious threat. That’ll give them the advantage on the approach, but once they’re onboard then all bets are off.

It’s agreed that Buddy will stay at the ship’s controls so that they can leave at a moment’s notice, and Vespa will stay by the docking station they board at to guard her. Jet, Rita, and Juno will go after Nureyev, with Juno in the lead.

They leave Buddy in the bridge and make their way down to a side door in the cargo bay. Juno hadn’t even realized it was a docking port until now, but it makes sense that they wouldn’t use the massive cargo bay doors to get in and out of New Kinshasa. Jet explains that all docking ports have a standard size to allow for universal use, and Juno supposes that makes a certain kind of sense. Certainly makes it easier to board, but he still hasn’t figured out what they’re going to dock to yet. He was conveniently zoned out thinking about Nureyev’s smile at the time.

“Brace yourselves!” comes Buddy’s voice over the comms. The ship rumbles, and even with the inertial dampeners on, Juno can feel the ship vibrating all around him. He’s actually kind of concerned for the Ruby 7, shaking slightly in the middle of the room. Looking at the car sends a pang to Juno’s heart, but now isn’t the time to reminisce.

And then the shaking stops. Vespa and Jet do something with clamps on the outside of the hull, and Rita watches for the nearby console to give them confirmation of a hard seal. It goes off without a hitch, and Juno helps Jet and Vespa get the door open. As soon as it opens just a crack, the blaring of sirens and shouts from running passerbys reaches their ears.

“Impact imminent,” says a disembodied voice through New Kinshasa’s intercom. “All nonessential personnel, please proceed to your assigned escape pods.” It’s barely audible over the sound of the alarms, and no one pays the intruders any mind. They get weird glances, of course, but right now the people on board New Kinshasa are more concerned with getting out before the freighter hits them than whether or not these intruders mean them harm.

Juno looks up realizes that they docked with an escape pod door. It must have already been used. Clever of Buddy to dock them here. Juno has no idea where ‘here’ is, though, other than knowing they’re near the center of the station. This isn’t somewhere Nureyev went in his memories, at least not of what Juno had seen. He might have a better idea once he gets out into a proper hallway, since this room seems to be filled with nothing but some small storage units and a bunch of escape pods, most of which have already been launched by now.

The mechanical voice continues its monotone announcement in the background of the alarms, and they move to the door across the room. They peer out to see people running through the hall, fewer now than there were before, but still none of them pay them any mind until Jet pulls out his gun. “Intruders!” one of them cries, and someone else grabs their arm and keeps pulling them along. “Don’t stop you idiot! That ship’ll kill us before any of these chumps!” They keep running, and Juno tries to make sense of where they are.

He closes his eyes, and tries to recall exactly what he saw in Nureyev’s memories. The number on the wall behind him indicates they’re on the right level, but this is a straight hallway with no other markings. It’s a guessing game. Juno is pretty good at those, so he opts to run in the opposite direction as the people fleeing New Kinshasa before the freighter impacts. He trusts that Nureyev won’t aim for the core because it might explode, and people tend to run away from the center of a ship when there’s danger. Vespa stays behind at the door with her gun out, ready to keep watch.

Rita and Jet follow close behind on Juno’s heels as he sprints down the hallway. It’s reminiscent of the nightmares that have been chasing him lately, but he doesn’t dwell too hard on that. After all, he’s not running away anymore, he’s running towards something. Towards Nureyev.

Eventually the hall opens up into a large antechamber, and Juno knows exactly where he is now. Mag and Nureyev were in this room, Juno just accessed it from another part of the station instead of the central elevator. Now they just have to wait for Nureyev. Despite all the odds stacked against them, they actually managed to make it here before him. Juno os ecstatic, but waiting around doing nothing is going to drive him mad.

Juno points towards the door they need. “Rita, we have to get into that room over there. It’s a massive security station so we have to be careful, but there’s a console in there that controls all security cameras and ceiling turrets in the station. Do you think you can disable that from out here?”

“Ceiling turrets?” Jet asks. Oops. Apparently he forgot to mention that in his briefing. Juno’s sure he mentioned defensive measures, but he may have glossed over the finer details. Too late now. Besides, with Rita here, he’s sure it’ll be fine.

Rita, however, is unphased. “I got it, boss!” She hustles over to a large computer panel on the wall near the door and plugs in her comms unit. She typing furiously and making those noises she makes when she’s almost done with something really difficult when the door opens and seven fully-armed security guards step out. Jet and Juno get their guns up, but it’s too late. One of them grabs Rita and pushes the barrel of his gun to her temple. Juno drops his pistol immediately, but Jet keeps his sights trained on the guards. “Drop it or we shoot!” The one all the way in the front shouts. The others still have their guns pointed at Jet and Juno.

“Put the gun down,” Juno hisses at him. Jet gives him a sidelong glare, but he drops his gun too. Throws it on the ground, more like, but it keeps them alive a little longer.

One of them steps out to pick up the discarded guns and retreats back into the security station with them. The others rush forward to press their guns to Jet’s and Juno’s backs, and the three of them are escorted inside. At least they’re in, but this isn’t exactly the ideal situation. And that’s when Juno notices the room is different. There are still consoles that obviously control the central hub of security cameras and defenses, but noticeably missing are door controls to the room with the core. The wall space by the massive steel door that used to be occupied by computer terminals is empty. Damn. They probably changed that after Mag and Nureyev broke in the first time in an attempt to fix their security. It’s not something Juno had anticipated, and he’s not sure that Nureyev will have thought about it either.

Juno has to let Rita know about the change in plan. She knows as much as he does, but if Jet and Juno can distract the guards, Rita will have a chance to escape and find the controls for the door. It’ll mean more splitting up than Juno is comfortable with in the situation, but the whole plan falls apart if they can’t get past it. “Seems like you’ve upgraded security since the last time I was here,” Juno comments.

The guard in charge looks confused. Good. “We haven’t had a breach here in over a decade. You can’t know about our security, upgraded or not.”

“Oh yeah? That big old steel door doesn’t open from here anymore, does it? Did you move it to—” Juno collapses to his knees as the guard pummels him in his gut. “Oww,” he wheezes.

Rita kneels beside him. “Boss! Are you alright?” She asks, helping him get his balance back.

“Wait for you chance and run,” Juno whispers back, “You gotta get those doors open, we’ll do the rest.” And then louder, “I’m fine, it wasn’t that hard.”

The guard grins. “Not that time, but you can expect worse. Lock ‘em up, I’ll get to you in a bit.” Ah, so he’s a sadistic bastard. Why the ones with a mean streak always get promoted Juno will never understand. Jet has clearly caught onto the plan, if the knowing look he gives Juno is anything to go by, but Juno can’t figure out how they’ll get the guards’ attention off of Rita. Everything hinges on that now, and hoping Nureyev doesn’t show up yet.

Or he could show up at exactly the right time, because the freighter hits just as the door to the holding cell is opened. New Kinshasa doesn’t have the powerful Rita-upgraded inertial dampeners, so everyone goes flying from the impact. Jet is prepared for it, of course, and manages to wrest a gun from his guard and stun two of them before the room even stops shaking. Juno lands on a guard and promptly knocks him out. Three of the others get knocked out or stuck under equipment from the impact, which leaves just the one in charge still standing. This time, the trio turn their guns on him and he drops his immediately. 

“Go,” Juno instructs Rita, but she doesn’t leave yet.

“Let me help you lock ‘em up before I go! Then it’ll be safer,” she says, and starts dragging one of the unconscious guards into the holding cell. Juno has to admit that it’s better to be safe than sorry, and besides, they’re not really on the clock anymore. Nureyev has to go through this room to get to the core, and he can’t get to the core unless Rita gets it open, which means he’s going to be stuck with them. More guards could always come of course, but these ones didn’t have time to call in an intruder alert so odds are they’re safe for now.

Once all the guards are locked securely in the holding cell, Rita starts to search the consoles frantically for ship schematics. “Found another security station! Seeya in a bit, you two!” She starts to dash off, but Jet stops her gently and turns to Juno.

“I will go with Rita to keep her safe. Can you and Nureyev handle the core alone?” He asks, but Juno knows what he’s really asking. _Can you handle Nureyev while he does this? Can you get him out safely?_

“Yeah, I’ve got this handled, big guy. We’ll see you back at the ship.” Jet and nods, and then they’re off, leaving Juno alone to wait for Nureyev to appear. It’s kind of ridiculous, actually. Sitting down on one of the somewhat-busted consoles, red lights flashing, alarms blaring, and Juno is just going to sit there and wait. He didn’t have time to feel nervous about what he’s going to say to Nureyev when they were planning this out or running through the station, but now the anxiety is starting to hit him.

Nureyev has no idea they’re here. He doesn’t know Juno is waiting for him, trying to figure out what smooth line he can pull when he sees Nureyev’s stupefied face from the open doorway to the antechamber outside. Vaguely, Juno wonders if this is what Nureyev felt like when he was waiting for the ship to land and the dust to clear when they came to pick up him and Rita. Juno smirks, propping his leg up on the console chair in a similar way to how Nureyev was positioned on the Ruby 7. He’ll get a kick out of this. That just leaves the question of what he’ll say. He decides not to try and plan it out, because whatever he comes up with will probably go right out the window as soon as he sees Nureyev again.

Will Nureyev be happy to see him? Surprised, certainly, but will relief flood his eyes because somewhere deep down inside he’d been hoping Juno would chase after him? Or maybe he’ll be upset, pissed off and resolute. Maybe he’ll think it’s a trick. Juno could handle the first two, and being upset would be entirely understandable. He dismisses the last option as a weird tangent fueled by his growing anxiety and checks his comms. God, it’s only been a few minutes. This is killing him. It’s been almost a quarter of an hour since the freighter impacted New Kinshasa, shouldn’t he be here by now? What if he got caught, what if he—

And then there’s the sound of a single person running through the antechamber outside, and the shadow of a tall lean man approaching the doorway. Nureyev stops short and ducks to the side when he sees the door to the security station wide open, and peers in slowly. He scans the room before his eyes land on Juno, and the shock in his eyes isn’t one filled with anger like Juno had expected. Nureyev steps into the room slowly, arms loose at his sides. Juno grins in the way Nureyev does when he’s pulled one over on Juno. “Guess we’re even now, huh?” He’s surprised his voice doesn’t betray his nervousness, for once.

“Juno, you…” Nureyev reaches out a tentative hand and brushes it over Juno’s cheek, just under his eyepatch. “How did you…?” He asks breathlessly.

“Well you see,” Juno starts, reach up and holding the hand Nureyev has on his face. “My partner asked me to see the stars with him, and then he left without me. I had to chase after him.”

Nureyev chuckles at that, a little shakily. “You impossible idiot. If anyone could have followed me it would have been you.”

“Of course,” Juno confirms, “I know you better than anyone, after all.”

They make eye contact for just a second, trying to silently communicate everything they don’t have the words for right now, before the tension snaps and they simultaneously reach out for a crushing hug. Nureyev huffs into Juno’s shoulder, squeezing tightly. “Don’t misunderstand me Juno, I’m glad to see you but I’m none too happy that you followed me. This is incredibly dangerous. Is it just you or is everyone else here as well?”

“We’re all here, docked the ship near the center. Buddy and Vespa are guarding it. The Angel has new security protocols so Jet and Rita are headed to another guard station to get us access to the core room.” Juno doesn’t want to let go, but he pulls away reluctantly when Nureyev does, so that they can have this conversation face to face.

The shock has worn off a little, but Nureyev still looks a little perplexed. “But how are you here? How did you know what my plan was?”

“Did you forget I’ve been in your head? I remember everything that happened that day, same as you do. There was only one thing you could have been planning, and there was no way in hell I was going to let you do it alone. It would have killed you.” That, and Juno _is_ a detective, or was anyway. He had all the puzzle pieces, he just needed to put them together.

“It would have been worth it, to finish what I started. Brahma is more important than me, and I—” Juno doesn’t realize he’s moved until he has a finger to Nureyev’s lips.

“You sound like me right now, back when I locked myself into that bunker with Miasma and the Egg of Purus. I remember the lecture you gave me, and I learned my lesson. I’m sorry I put you through that but please don’t make the same mistake I did. Let us help. I promise you we’ll all be there on the other side.”

Nureyev looks like he wants to keep speaking, but some of what Juno said must strike a chord in him, because he goes lax in Juno’s arms. Juno removes the hand from his face, and Nureyev looks downcast.

“We just keep hurting each other, don’t we,” he says. It’s not even a question. He’s just had the same realization Juno came to a long time ago. Maybe for the first time ever, they’re both on exactly the same page.

“Yeah. And that’s not going to get better unless we work on it. But that requires the both of us to be alive and not run away.” Juno’s done running. He’s not letting go of Nureyev this time, not for anything.

Something is different in the way Nureyev looks at him now, yet strangely familiar. Juno can’t really place it until he realizes it’s the way that Nureyev used to look at him, before everything happened with Miasma. It’s a mix of slightly vexed, incredibly fond, and downright astounded. The cold edge that’s been there since their reunion has finally melted. Juno feels a surge of pride that he’s worthy of having that gaze cast on him again. 

“You continue to amaze me, Juno.” Nureyev takes his hand and rubs his thumb across the back of it. They’ve officially crossed into the territory of Juno having done too much sappy stuff and being about to overload, but he won’t deny the butterflies in stomach, so he squeezes back and smiles.

They do still have a job to do, though. Juno activates his comms and broadcasts to the rest of the team. “I made contact with Nureyev. We’re ready when you are, Rita.”

“Copy that!” comes her cheery reply, along with a request from Jet that he reconnect Nureyev’s comms to the crew’s secure channel. Juno rolls his eyes and holds out his empty hand to Nureyev so he can patch him in.

Nureyev hands it over, watching Juno deftly maneuver the foreign comms system. Juno’s really learned a thing or two about tech, and it shows. It doesn’t even register to him that he’d just used Nureyev’s name with the rest of the crew and that this is the first time in a long while that Nureyev has been known by his actual name. Juno doesn’t get to see his reaction, too busy fiddling with the comms system. “How much did you share with everyone? Was it just my name?”

Juno finishes with his comms and hands it back to him sheepishly. “I only told them what they needed to know, but they know I saw your memories. I’m sorry I had to share your name, I know how important it is to you.” Juno doesn’t really want to admit they first heard it when he was sobbing on the floor outside the airlock after Nureyev took off, but he imagines that’ll be a fun story for Buddy to share with him as soon as this is over.

Nureyev waves him off. “I did tell you that you could do whatever you wanted with my name. I suppose it won’t matter. If we’re successful today, the whole world will know my name, not just the people of Brahma.” Still, it must be a hard thing for him to let go of keeping it a secret for all these years. It had to have been such a big burden, even if it was one that he placed on himself. This is, quite literally, his life’s work, and he deserves credit for bringing down New Kinshasa even if it is just clearing his name as a wanted terrorist. Juno is honored that he gets to stand by his side as it happens.

There’s a moment of silence, and Juno feels like he should say something else. All the emotions he’s been suppressing are bubbling up inside him, and he’s spent almost every waking moment thinking about the things he wanted to say to Nureyev when he saw him again. He had so much to tell him that was supposed to be for their goodbye, but now Juno knows that he can convince him to stay. He doesn’t have to leave, not without Juno. So why say anything now? They’re in the middle of something extremely important, even if they are just waiting for a door to open. They’ll have all the time in the world after this is over.

Still, he can’t just say nothing, so Juno opens his mouth to speak. Now is Nureyev’s turn to shut him up though, as he clamps a hand over Juno’s mouth and points towards the entryway to the atrium. Juno strains his ears, and he can hear fast footsteps getting louder and louder. There’s a lot of them, and they’re running. It’s too coordinated to be coming from a group of panicked employees; it has to be more security.

Nureyev lets go of Juno’s mouth once he’s sure that he’s been made aware of the danger, and Juno opens his comms channel again. “Rita, sooner rather than later would be nice. We’re about to have company,” he whispers.

“She is working on it.” It is not Rita, but Jet, that replies. “The systems here are very complex,” there’s a pause and the muffled sound of Rita’s voice on the line, and then Jet continues, “She says she is very sorry for tripping alarms to the door, but there was no other way. Give it another thirty seconds.”

“A heads up would have been nice,” Nureyev grumbles, but not over the line. He and Juno get ready to sprint through the core’s door as soon as it opens. It’s going to be a close call.

Juno buzzes Rita again. “I need you to close the door as soon as it’s open. Give us five seconds to get through, and then lock it down tight.” There’s too many guards for him and Nureyev to deal with on their own. They’ll figure out the escape route once they’re inside, but right now there’s no way to fight them off without getting shot. They’d gotten very lucky with the station’s original guards, and they’ll probably be released form the holding cell as soon as the reinforcements arrive. One step at a time, though.

The footsteps are getting closer. The sound of heavy boots and shouting soon overtakes the blaring alarms, although the voice on the intercom has thankfully stopped its repeated message. “Anytime now!” Nureyev yells.

“There!” Rita responds, and the door to the core begins to open, just in time too. Nureyev squeezes through tightly, followed by Juno and a couple of laser blasts. It shuts behind them just as fast, and the two of them tumble onto the ground in front of it. Muffled heavy thuds and frustrated voices waft through the thick exterior of the door. The security team isn’t happy that they missed their shot to catch them. “Mista Steel? Mista Nureyev? Are you okay in there?” Rita asks.

“We made it, Rita. Thanks.” Juno huffs and sits up, leaning his back against the door. It’s quieter in here: the alarm system isn’t wired to be heard inside the core room, and the walls are thick enough that it can’t be heard from outside. Dim red light filters through the entirety of the room. It’s unchanged since the last time that Nureyev and Juno had seen it.

Nureyev looks around in a stupor, and shakes himself out of his memories. Then Rita’s words must have registered, because he looks at Juno with a curious smile on his face and says, “Did Rita just call me ‘Mista Nureyev?’ How quaint.” He enunciates the ‘mista’ the same way Rita does, and Juno can’t help the laugh that escapes him.

“It suites you,” Juno replies, getting off the floor. He reaches down to the still-prone Nureyev to help him up, and he takes it. There’s a slight tremor in his hand. He’s finally accomplishing what he’d dreamed about for years, of course he’s nervous.

Jet’s voice comes on through the comms, but it’s filtered with a decent amount of static. This room must be really well shielded from signals, too. “Taking Rita back to the ship… rendezvous with Vespa and… get you… wait for the… safely.”

“Well, I guess that means they have a plan to get us out again. Do you want to make sure you can still turn on the antigravity generators from here?” Juno is worried that if the comms signal is barely getting through, then the signal from whatever Nureyev is using to control the generators might not make it.

Nureyev holds up a tiny device with a solid green light on it. “I activated them right before we slipped through the door. They should take few minutes to get online, but we’ll feel it when they do.” Good. Maybe they can take the security team by surprise again if New Kinshasa starts shaking again. It’ll make their escape a little easier.

“Let’s take a look at this core thing. We’re out of luck if they’ve added more new security protocols in here too,” Juno says. They approach the pillar in the center that houses the core powering the station and the entire Angel system. It doesn’t _look_ any different, but Juno lets Nureyev be the one to inspect it closer. He’s the one who would notice if anything was off.

Satisfied with what he find, he reaches out to touch it, but pulls his hand back to grab Juno’s instead. “Let’s do it together.”

Juno’s heart swells with pride. _No more running away._ “Together,” he repeats. They reach out and wrest the core from the heart of New Kinshasa.

Immediately, the station jerks, and they experience the sensation of slight falling. New Kinshasa is probably falling a lot, but because of its size they barely feel it. Yet. It means the antigrav generators haven’t kicked in, and that hinders their plan a little. “Nureyev?” Juno asks. “When can we expect to not be falling and instead be ejected further into space?” If they don’t turn on soon, they’ll have to reinstall the core until they do.

Nureyev hums and looks at the timer on his remote. “Should be any second now.” And right on cue, New Kinshasa jerks again and begins moving upward just as fast as it had been falling. The sudden change in motion makes Juno nauseous, and he would have fallen over if not for the fact that he’s holding onto Nureyev. He’s grinning wildly, and Juno is sure he’s sharing that expression. They did it. The Angel system is offline, and New Kinshasa isn’t going to crush millions of people. 

All that’s left is to make sure that the station can’t be brought back online. “Let’s break this thing,” Juno says, and motions to put the core down on the opposite side of the room. They drop it on the cold ground and retreat back to the locked door. Juno takes out his gun and blasts it once, twice, three times with lasers on the highest setting. The dull purple glow emanating from inside the core fades, and Nureyev proclaims it dead.

Now they just have to escape. Nureyev and Juno get a chorus of cheers and congratulations through their comms from the rest of the crew, and Jet begins to outline his plan for tackling the reinforced security guards in the station outside the door, but Juno has stopped listening. He has that sinking feeling in his gut that he always gets when shit is about to go south because he’s missed something. He’s glad he still has his gun out and ready when the door to the station opens suddenly without warning. Damn it! That’s what he didn’t have time to consider. Removing the core drained all power from New Kinshasa, including the power to high-security door controls.

“Get to cover!” Juno shouts, firing laser blasts into the open doorway with abandon. He and Nureyev dart for the central pillar that housed the core and duck behind it just as the guards recover from being shot at in order to return fire.

Nureyev pulls out his own gun, as well as his knife. “Well, our escape just become a bit more dire. Jet, if you could hurry up with you and Vespa’s plan, please!”

“We’re on the way,” comes Vespa’s short reply. She and Jet are the most combat-ready of the crew, and Juno’s glad Jet made the call to bring Rita back to the ship safely in order to pick her up. His rough estimate totals at about twelve guards in the doorway, not including the two the Juno managed to stun as he laid down covering fire. Bright side to the situation: his one-eyed aim has gotten a lot better.

Juno and Nureyev take turns laying down covering fire and taking pot shots at the guards, and manege to get another two down before they start closing in. It’s a circular room, and they only had cover from the doorway because of the angle they hid at. There’s no way Vespa and Jet are going to get here in time. Juno’s glad they managed to destroy the core. Even if they go down here, Brahma is safe. That doesn’t mean he wants to die here, though, and he certainly doesn’t want Nureyev to do that either.

One of the guards gets within sightline of Nureyev and stops short. She signals to all the others to hold, clearly the commanding officer of the reinforcements. “I know your face. You’re the most wanted criminal in Brahma for the past two decades. What the hell are you doing here?”

Nureyev stuns her without answering, and they take advantage of the hesitation to drop four more of them. The ones that are left hang back, but don’t stop firing. Juno and Nureyev are trapped. “Get ready, we’re almost there,” Jet says over the comms. 

“Watch for my pistol shots, they’ll let you know when we’re here,” Vespa warns. He shots are bright green, not the standard issue blue for most guns. She’d made the modifications herself.

Sure enough, not a minute later green laser bursts whiz past the column and three of the guards stop firing into the room, presumably to go deal with the new combatants. Nureyev pops out to shoot at the ones remaining, but Juno sees what’s about to happen in almost slow motion. Only one of the guards that stopped firing hard left the room; the rest have their sights trained on Nureyev. They know who he is, and they want him dead. Juno is an afterthought, and so are any other intruders at the moment.

Nureyev is surprised, but still manages to get a shot off at one of them. Juno gets another, but the other two still fire. Juno doesn’t think, he doesn’t have to. He pushes Nureyev out of the way and is blasted backwards by the force of two excessively powerful laser blasts. He gets another shot off at the guards when he lands, but he misses wildly. Still not as good a marksman as he used to be. Or maybe it’s the pain. He couldn’t raise his left arm to steady the gun like he usually does. It smashed into the wall really hard, so it might be broken.

The searing pain form his chest and abdomen are the biggest concern right now. Hurts like a bitch. Nureyev rushes over to him, tears in his eyes, ignoring the other guards behind him. Juno’s hazy vision barely registers the green lasers that hit them anyway. Good. Everyone’s safe now. Well, not him, but that’s not the point. “Juno, Juno! Why did you do that, you _idiot_ , why did you do that for me?” Nureyev clasps his hand when Juno tries and fails to reach up to him.

“Doin’ the right thing. Makin’ up for my mistakes. Tryin’ to say goodbye. Forgive me?” Juno grunts out, trying to not to whimper at the pain. He’s not really sure exactly what it is that he’s asking forgiveness for, but he knows Nureyev didn’t want Juno to end up like this.

“Of course I forgive you, but save that for later. You don’t get to die here, you hear me?” In the background, Vespa is rushing into the room as fast as possible, armed with an emergency medical kit. Juno doesn’t pay her any mind as she starts trying to treat his wounds, other than to hiss in pain.

Juno ignores Nureyev’s continuous platitudes, interrupting his umpteenth “you’re going to be alright” with another hacking cough. The pain is excruciating, and he doesn’t know how much longer he can keep himself conscious.

“Come here,” Juno begs, and Nureyev knows what he means instantly. He surges forward, grasping Juno’s face between his hands and kissing him like he never had before. Juno kisses back, honestly and enthusiastically the way he’s always truly wanted to kiss him. One last kiss. It’s over much too soon, as Vespa does something to his stomach that makes Juno’s insides boil. Nureyev looks down at him, eyes filed with pain and regret and so much _love_ that Juno can’t contain himself. It’s all too much. Nureyev is holding him tightly and they’re both crying and it’s all too much.

“Peter Nureyev… I am giving you back your name,” Juno rasps. The pain overtakes him, and he sinks into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is unbetaed; please excuse any mistakes and let me know if their are any glaring errors. Thank you for your continued support!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi travelers! This is the LAST CHAPTER! I won't leave you in too much suspense, but I'm so happy that I managed to get this all out before season three starts on Friday (for Patreon subscribers at least). There's a longer note at the end, but I just want to give a big heartfelt thank you to everyone who's been enjoying this fic. Enjoy the finale!
> 
> Recommended Listening:  
> Girl From Mars- Ash  
> Sometimes When We Touch- Dan Hill

_Juno is falling. He knows this is a dream now, he’s known for a while, but he’s not able to wake up this time. Even the terrifying sensation of falling isn’t enough to wake him. This is hell, he just knows it. He shuts his eyes—he has two of them again in this dreamworld. Is that supposed to mean something? Juno doesn’t think he cares enough to figure it out._

_He’s been falling for so long that he’s actually gotten used to the sensation. Huh. That’s not something he’d ever thought was possible. After all that time he’d spent running and lying to himself about who’s fault it was, getting such a peaceful end didn’t seem right. He lets himself relax, fraction by fraction, fully in control of himself now that he’s expelled the Theia. Juno wonders if dream-Nureyev is still standing on that precipice so far above him, watching him fall._

_He opens his eyes, expecting to see the cliffside rushing past him and feel the wind on his face again, but there’s nothing. And his vision is off kilter. He’d shut two eyes, but only one of them opened again. Also, he’s not falling anymore. He’s lying flat on his back in the middle of the desert, no cliffside to be seen anywhere near him or on the horizon. Juno reaches up to feel his face, and finds an eyepatch over his right eye. He’s dressed more comfortably now too, no longer in that old raggedy coat he’d held onto for god knows how long._

_The sky above him is still clear, though, and he has nothing else to do, so Juno just lies there and watches the Sun pass by overhead. Vaguely he wonders if he should be concerned about radiation levels, but he figures that if he’s already dead, then it doesn’t matter anyway. Gamma rays can’t hurt a ghost._

_Juno watches the sky for what feels like hours, then days. Nothing changes, and the Sun never sets. He doesn’t get hungry or thirsty, and there are no animals around to bother him. And then, there’s a small dark blip above him that wasn’t there before. It gets larger and larger, until Juno realizes that it isn’t a growing spec of dust but instead something approaching him from out of the sky. It’s not getting bigger; it’s getting closer. Quickly. And it’s headed right for him._

_Juno scrambles to get up and out of the way, and only barely manages to dodge it as it impacts into the ground where he was laying down only moments before. The cloud of sand that it kicks up fills Juno’s lungs and leaves him coughing and blind. He can’t make out what it is. He tries to squint through the gritty dust, and sees the outline of a familiar ship._

_Its cargo bay doors are open, and standing at the edge of the platform are four very familiar figures. His crew. His family. Juno smiles big and wide as they invite him inside. He gets off of the ground, brushes himself off, and joins them on the ship, leaving the desert behind._

* * *

Everything hurts. That’s an understatement: Juno feels like his entire body is on fire. Vaguely, he knows he’s not dead and he’s glad for that, but with the amount of paint he’s in right now he kind of wishes he was. His lying down somewhere. That’s about all he can tell through the venire of agony. He tries to open his eye and sit up, and promptly blacks out again.

The next time Juno wakes up, the pain is more bearable. It’s still there and it’s still excruciating, but it doesn’t block every other sense anymore. He lying down in a bed, a hard mattress and course sheets. Not his own bed on the ship, then. He tries to blink his eye open, but the light above him is blinding. He shuts it again immediately with a groan, and rolls over onto his side. Big mistake. He rolls over onto where he was shot through his midriff, and it sets the wound on fire. He screams.

All of a sudden, there’s hustle and bustle around the room. Someone gives him a shot, and the pain mellows out, but so does his mind. A sedative. And then he’s out again. This is becoming a pattern, and not one that Juno appreciates. Still, being unconscious gives him some measure of relief from the pain.

That’s how Juno’s days pass by. He doesn’t know how many have passed, since he’s never awake long enough to keep track of the time. He vaguely remembers the faces of nurses and doctors now though, and he knows that his friends have been coming to visit him. The chair beside his bed is always occupied, and typically so is the couch on the opposite wall. He hasn’t been coherent enough to talk to them, but he appreciates the overenthusiastic if also overly painful hug that Rita gives him, as well as the way Nureyev squeezes his hand in support when Juno’s body clenches from the pain.

He’s finally off the mind-numbing sedatives after what he’s been told has been three weeks. _Three weeks, that long? How bad could it possibly have been?_ Juno is also informed by a team four doctors that he’d undergone five surgeries and that his recovery time was going to be at least seventh months. They weren’t sure he’d make a full recovery, but he’d already survived what should have been fatal injuries twice over. “A wonderful statistical anomaly,” one of them had said.

The whole crew was there when they gave their briefing. Juno had requested it. The hospital is on Brahma’s surface, in the city right below where New Kinshasa used to hover. Apparently, they were guests of honor after what they’d done, and they were free to stay as long as they’d like. Nureyev had also been offered the key to the city, but he’d refused. He’d said something along the lines of “Your city has just been freed, don’t be so keen to hand it over again” and politely declined any requests for photographs. His name may be known galaxy-wide now, but several decades of protecting his anonymity don’t go away overnight.

Juno receives the breakdown of his injuries in silence. He shouldn’t have survived what he survived. Hell, he’d been beating the odds for so long he didn’t even think about them anymore, but this time it was bigger than before. He _shouldn’t_ have survived. The only reason he did was because of the people standing around his bedside right now. All of them has saved his life before this at least once, Rita countless times before he’d even known the rest of them. And now they’d done it again.

The doctors file out, leaving them all alone together. Vespa and Buddy park themselves on the couch, Jet on the chair, and Rita at the foot of Juno’s bed. Nureyev stays standing, stock still and quiet. He hadn’t said much to him since New Kinshasa, and his silence is a little off-putting. Still, he has a comforting hand resting on Juno’s shoulder, and he knows what Nureyev’s silence is like when he’s pissed at Juno, so he’s not too worried. They’ll talk about it when they have time.

“Thank you,” Juno says, “Really. I know I do a lot of stupid shit and that I get a hurt a lot, but this takes the cake.” He’s thanked them before and he knows they’re tired of hearing it, but he can’t say it enough. He really is grateful to be alive, more so now than he’s ever been.

Rita smiles. “Nothin to worry about, Mista Steel! Besides, you’ve done stupider things than that before.” Juno chuckles at the small blow to his ego, and winces when the motion pulls at the stitches in his chest. He hisses with pain, and Jet is reaching for the button on the side of his bed to call the doctors back.

“Easy there, big guy, I’m alright.” Yeah it hurts, even after he stopped laughing, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it’s been, and if he called the doctors every time he moved the wrong way, they’d never leave the room. They could give him more of those painkillers, but Juno’s tired of having his mind fogged up like that. He can deal with a little pain.

Buddy stretches and yawns from the sofa. They all look tired, but Buddy has been running repairs to their ship in addition to taking shifts at Juno’s bedside. She looks more ragged than the rest of them, though not as much as Juno. “Well, at least you’ll be out of here soon. Recovery may take a while, but you won’t have to spend several months in the hospital.”

“There is that, yeah,” Juno replies. He’s exhausted, but for once it isn’t the sleep deprivation. He’s slept more in the past few weeks than he has in the past few decades thanks to all the sedatives. The bags under his eyes are all but gone. If you’d have shown the Juno from a year and a half ago what he would look like now, he’d have been unrecognizable, in more ways than one. He supposes that’s a good thing, really. “Go back to the ship, you guys, get some sleep. I’ll be fine for one night without someone standing guard.”

Rita gives him a hug, careful not to jostle any of his wounds. “Ya sure? I don’t mind sleepin’ on the cough again.”

Juno hugs her back with his right arm, the only one he’s currently capable of moving. “I’m sure. Go sleep in your bed, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Alrighty then, g’night boss!” Rita and Jet file out, followed closely by an exhausted Buddy. Vespa bids him goodnight and refills Juno’s glass of water before she leaves, nodding to Nureyev.

Nureyev doesn’t go with them. He pulls the chair where Jet was sitting from against the wall to right beside the bed and sits down wordlessly. “You can go too,” Juno says, “I don’t want to bother you, you look dead on your feet.” This is the first time they’ve been alone together since Juno woke up. He doesn’t like to remember the pain on Nureyev’s face, the last thing he saw before he thought he died in the core room on New Kinshasa. 

“And you look dead off your feet,” Nureyev retorts, and Juno blinks at the comeback. _So that’s how this is going to be, huh? Right back at square one._ Juno looks away in shame, knowing he’d scared the hell out of Nureyev again. 

“I’m sorry,” Juno says. There’s nothing he can say to justify his self-sacrificial tendency, but he tries anyway. “Better me than you. I didn’t even think, Nureyev, I just saw the gun and—”

“Why do you still call me Nureyev?” He interrupts. Juno stops short. Why wouldn’t he? It’s his name, after all, and it’s not like it’s a big secret anymore. Unless Nureyev doesn’t like the way it sounds on Juno’s lips. Juno pulled another stupid stunt and pissed him off again, it would make sense that he’d want to create more distance between them. Juno wouldn’t fault him for it, even if it stings. He was so close to repairing what they had.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean,” Juno replies.

“It’s just that,” Nureyev starts and stops, pausing to find the right words. “Nureyev. My last name. It’s awfully impersonal for one so close to me, such as you are.” Oh. _Oh._ This is going in entirely the opposite direction from where Juno thought it was. Nureyev isn’t pushing him away, he’s wondering why Juno hasn’t pulled them closer.

“Oh,” Juno echoes his own thoughts. “I, uh, wasn’t sure what our boundaries are anymore. I haven’t been sure about that for a while now, actually. Guess we have a lot to talk about. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Nureyev smiles softly, and covers Juno’s uninjured hand with his own. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere tonight, and the hospital staff isn’t too keen on kicking out their hero. We have time, if you want to discuss things tonight.”

Juno doesn’t respond to that. His mind is racing at the possibilities. Nureyev’s stillness towards him the past few days haven’t been anger. _What else could it have been then?_ Fear. Juno had tried to kill himself once right in front of him in order to save his life, and now he’d done it again. He’d reacted like this before, albeit to a lesser degree, but then Juno hadn’t been falling in and out of consciousness in a hospital for almost a month last time, either. He was scared for Juno, in a way that proved he still cared about him. Very much so. It’s proof that their relationship hadn’t deteriorated as much as Juno had led himself to believe. He doesn’t deserve to die for Nureyev, he deserves to live for him. With him.

“Juno?” Nureyev asks nervously. “I understand if you’d rather have some time to yourself, I can head back to the ship. I’m sorry for being too forward.”

“Don’t apologize.” It’s Juno’s turn to chastise him for the apology. “You might be forward, but you’ve never been too forward with me. I want you to stay. Please.”

Nureyev smiles and settles back down into his seat. “Alright Juno. I’ll stay as long as you like.”

“And if I ask you to stay forever?” Juno asks, knowing there are more implications behind that question than just the surface level of it.

Nureyev answers without hesitation. “Then I would. I’ll always stay with you.”

Juno sits up a little more, ignoring the pain that ignites in his sides. He leans in to kiss Nureyev once, chastely, and he obliges with care. There’s no rush. They have all the time in the galaxy, now. “Okay Peter, let’s talk.”

Nureyev—no, _Peter_ —smiles against Juno’s lips, and hoists himself out of the chair and onto the hospital bed with Juno. Juno scoots over and makes room for him under the covers, and Peter inserts himself at his side, careful not to disturb and of Juno’s injuries. After they’re comfortably situated, Juno starts the goodbye speech he’d been planning in his head. Except it’s not a goodbye anymore, it’s a hello. A hello to their new life together, to new adventures on new planets, a hello to being nicer to himself and more honest with everyone. Peter, as it turns out, had something similar prepared. 

They talk well into the night, and the nurses that come to check on Juno every once in a while don’t comment on his new bedmate. It’s only in the wee hours of the morning sunrise that they fall asleep, Juno nestled into Nureyev’s shoulder, feeling safe and secure. Nureyev hasn’t worn his cologne in weeks, having spent most his time in the hospital or greeting the people in Brahma who want to speak to him. But the scent still lingers. Not in the pervasive way that has haunted Juno so many times before, but because it’s still there. It’s all around him. Belatedly, Juno makes one more connection that he should have made a while ago. That cologne, it smells like Brahma. It smells like Peter’s home, and Juno’s finally home now too, right here in Peter’s arms.

* * *

Rita and Vespa are the ones that find them wrapped up in each other the next afternoon. Surprisingly, Vespa is the one who snaps a photo of them and Rita is the one to protest, loudly enough that it wakes the two of them up. Peter actually blushes when Vespa shows them the photo, and Juno hides himself back under the covers, absolutely mortified. Well, it’s not like they’re planning on hiding their relationship anyway. They both agreed they’d done quite enough hiding, especially from each other. That was one of the things they’d talked about last night, among other things like swearing to stop running away from each other and whose room on the ship they would be moving into. It’s all quite a bit more domestic than either of them had ever pictures, but delightful nonetheless. 

Everyone gets kicked out of Juno’s room by the doctors for an examination, and almost an hour later he has been deemed fit enough to start his physical therapy. It’s a grueling task and Juno aches all over, but it helps that his friends have come to support him. Slowly, day by day, Juno recovers. He’s set to almost make a full recovery. He’ll always have massive burn scars on his shoulder and midriff where the laser went right through him, and limited mobility in his left arm, but that’s not so bad compared to the literal death he was facing beforehand.

On the day the doctors finally let Juno leave the hospital, with the stipulation that someone be with him at all times and that he return to the hospital at night, Peter arrives with a bouquet of flowers and an offer to show him around the city. Juno accepts both with gusto, and tears up when he notices exactly which flowers are in the bouquet. Roses and dahlias. “Really Peter, you’re getting predictable,” Juno comments, pressing his face into the petals and inhaling the sweet aroma.

“Whatever do you mean?” Peter asks with a twinkle in his eye. Juno still hasn’t told him that he knows about the flowers he got on his birthday.

Well, there’s no time like the present. “I know this isn’t the first time you’ve gotten me flowers. You’re clever, but you aren’t exactly subtle.” Juno stands on his toes to give him a peck on the cheek, and almost falls over from dizziness. Peter catches his shoulder and steadies him. 

He frowns, in a way that’s obvious he’s only joking and not actually upset. Juno’s getting better and better at reading him, and Peter is getting better at letting his guard down. “If knew that bouquet was from me, you should have said something.”

“And ruin your drama?” Juno snorts. “I didn’t want to reach out and hurt you again. But it worked out in the end.” He carefully places the bouquet on the bedside table.

“That it did,” Peter hums. He comes and stands next to Juno at the window, looking out over the square below. It’s been absolutely bustling since New Kinshasa was brought down, now that people were finally completely free. Sounds of chatter fill the busy streets, and music drifts up to the open window where they stand. It’s so quaint, and Juno is so happy to get to experience this joy alongside Peter. He looks fresh and completely relaxed. It’s the first time in a very long while that he hasn’t had to be prepared to leave immediately or hide his true identity. He can just be himself, here in this moment beside his partner, and Juno feels the same way.

_No more running. I control my life now, and I’m choosing to stand here._

Juno turns and gives Peter another small kiss, before grinning and grabbing his cane. “Now, I think you were going to show me the city. I want to see all that Brahma has to offer.”

Peter chuckles and offers Juno his arm. Juno gingerly links his injured left arm through Peter’s, and uses the cane in his right hand for support. They slowly make their way down the hall and down the elevator and out into the square below. “I don’t know about all of Brahma, but I can at least show you the city where I was born and a bit of our finer culture and foods.”

“I’d like that very much. Show me where you get that damn cologne,” Juno teases.

Peter huffs, and starts guiding Juno through the city. “You are so fixated on that cologne, I swear, I’m going to get you a bottle of your own.”

“No thanks, I prefer it on you,” Juno laughs. Peter stops up short, embarrassed. Banter, especially the flirtatious kind, is nothing new to either of them, but this open affection is something neither of them are familiar with. They move on, still arm in arm, but not making eye contact and studiously ignoring how red each of their faces just got. This is so weirdly domestic for the both of them.

Peter does end up buying Juno his own bottle of that infernal scent, and Juno tries a little bit of it on. It’s not entirely the same, but Juno has to admit it’s not half bad on him either. Juno has to stop and catch his breath every once in a while, sitting down to rest his body. He might be on the road to recovery, but even this little amount of activity takes a great deal of effort. It’s worth it, though, to be out of the hospital and spend time with his partner. They window shop for a couple of hours, Peter pointing out all sorts of things native to Brahma and Juno being mesmerized by just how happy Peter is to talk about his home.

There’s sadness in Peter’s eyes, too. He shows Juno where he and Mag had lived for a short period of time, before they attempted to take down New Kinshasa. It’s a small building, crammed between two shops, and no door out front. They have to walk around the back to an alley to get in, and what greets them on the alley wall stops Peter up short. Juno didn’t see it at first, too focused on the buildings, but he gasps when he sees it too.

Painted on the wall behind the buildings is a mural. A mural of Peter, clearly from his younger days but unmistakably him. It’s been here for a while, probably a relic from an older revolutionary movement that sprang up after the events from many years ago. It’s a bust portrait of him looking down, sad but resolute, at anyone who passes through the alleyway. He’s so much younger here, but the expression is one Juno knows well. His brain flashes back to the core room of New Kinshasa from a month ago, and Juno sees a mirror of the painting before him.

That’s not all, though. There is a new addition to the mural, much clearer due to the obviously fresher paint. Large wings spread out from either side of Peter’s shoulders. They are a multitude of colors, a technicolor facet of feathers with a slightly golden hue to their outline reaching out across the wall. Some of the color also bleeds into the space around his head. The true angel of Brahma.

Juno is stunned. It’s a good likeness of Peter and an incredibly grand gesture. Juno peels his eyes away from the portrait to look at Peter’s reaction, and is shocked to find his eyes a little watery and his mouth upturned into a frown. “I don’t deserve this,” he whispers, and something in Juno breaks. How many times has he himself said something like that? The coiled emotion in Juno’s gut is yelling at him to be angry at the part of Peter that thinks that. 

“Yes, you do. Don’t ever say that,” Juno reprimands. He’s definitely a being a bit of a hypocrite, but he’s trying to get better about that. “You deserve the world, the galaxy, even.”

This gets a tentative smile back on Peter’s face, and Juno puts his arm around him in a little half-hug. Peter sighs appreciatively. “I didn’t do it for any kind of recognition. These people deserve to be free.”

“And you deserve to be happy,” Juno counters.

“So do you.” Juno is quiet at that. Deserving to be happy is a foreign concept that Juno is forcing himself to get used to. But with Peter here, and Rita and the rest of their little family, he knows he’ll get there. It’s just a matter of time.

Juno pulls Peter’s gaze away from the mural and back to the house. “Come on. Do you still want to show me inside?” This is a little bit more of an emotional trip then he knows Peter had prepared for. The last thing Juno wants to do is pressure him into reliving more of his past.

Peter looks at the portrait again and takes a deep breath before answering. “Yes, of course. I’ll be alright. Just wasn’t expecting… well, anything like that really.” He walks towards the door and searches for a key that he’d hidden all those years ago so they can get in without breaking the door down. Apparently no one had wanted to move into a house that was difficult to access, especially not one that belonged to a dead man and a fugitive, so the house still technically belonged to Peter. Juno takes advantage of his brief distraction to snap a few photos of the mural. It’s not an image Juno wants to forget anytime soon.

Peter gets the door unlocked, and goes back down the steps to the entrance to help Juno get up them with his cane. The inside is dusty and poorly lit. Juno can barely see anything. “One moment,” Peter says, and disappears into the darkness for a few seconds. Suddenly, the entryway lights up to reveal a dusty cluttered mess. All sorts of old books and gadgets line the shelves and have spread out to the floor. Photos and paintings line every wall, and Peter is busy opening windows let in light and fresh air. 

Juno steps inside in wonder. Peter had told him that Mag was a collectors of old Earth artifacts, but he’d never imagined it would be to this extent. It’s an incredibly collection, and Juno can’t even name some of the things he sees. It’s a hoard for a thief, but one that clearly demonstrates a deep love and respect for history. It makes sense that revolutionary, even a misguided one, would have a fascination with civilizations of old.

The kitchen is small but a little less cluttered, and has a door that leads to a bedroom. There’s two old and grimy mattresses on the floor that Juno wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole, but they’ve been pushed to the side and stacked on top of each other to make room for dozens of papers strewn out over the floor. “Our original plan to take down the Angel system,” Peter explained. “We were going to clean up when we came back, at least that’s what I thought. This place really hasn’t been touched for decades. I wonder…” He trails off as he moves to the desk on the back while, treading over the paper without a care.

Peter grabs an old shirt off one of the mattresses and wipes off what appears to be a box with a large winding cornucopia place vertically on top. He picks up a thin square from the stack of similar squares beside it, and removes a large black disc from it. It’s a sleeve. Juno’s vaguely familiar with this, but it’s so out of date that he can’t place its purpose. “It’s a gramophone. Mag loved this; he didn’t even steal it. One of the only things he ever actually bought, and he paid a fortune for it to.” Peter places the disc—a record, Juno’s brain finally provides—onto the gramophone and sets the needle in motion. Slowly, the tune comes to life and the room fills with soft music. “It still works!” Peter exclaims in delight.

It’s ridiculous. The audio quality is so bad, but there’s something soothing about the way it plays. The song itself is from an outdated style, but it’s more to Juno’s liking than anything he’s heard recently. Ben would have loved this, he thinks. Peter hums along, a passive smile on his face. This is a tune he knows well. Mag probably played it for him hundreds of times in this room when they worked together.

Juno crosses the room to give him a big hug. Peter is sharing something so deeply intimate with him right now, and Juno appreciates it for what it is. It’s like when he shared his real name with him, except Juno knows what this is worth and won’t throw it back in his face this time. This is precious. Juno can feel his heart beat faster, and is overwhelmed by how much he loves this man.

Peter turns in to the hug and returns it. They stand there, softly swaying to the beat, until Juno realizes they’ve actually started dancing a little to it. He laughs. If only his brother could see him now. A month ago this would have been impossible, seemed impossible. That Juno should be here, holding Peter and dancing with him unaware, are two impossible tasks. Ben would be proud of him. Juno’s proud of himself, and he supposes that counts for something too. “Did you notice we were dancing?”

“Not yet, we aren’t,” Peter replies with a gleam in his eye. He pulls Juno into a real dance now, like they had practiced for the gala on Ganymede. The setting is much less grand, but the music is better and the company is perfect. There’s nowhere else that Juno would rather be than right here, right now. 

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Juno asks.

Peter laughs and kisses Juno, slowly and indulgently. “Yes, it certainly has. Juno, darling, I’m so glad that you chased after me.”

Juno smiles into the kiss and pulls back. “So am I. Don’t leave me again?”

“Never.” Juno leans back in for another lingering kiss. It sears his lips and warms his heart. He deserves a little bit of this happiness, he thinks. And he gets to follow this feeling across the galaxy, hopefully for a good long while. After all, home isn’t the planet you’re born on or the family that you get. It’s the family that you choose and the things that you’ve done. No matter where they are, Juno’s finally home, and he’s pretty happy about that. Everything in the galaxy is at Peter and Juno’s fingertips.

They won’t be staying here, of course. Buddy and Jet have already found a new target, and are drawing up plans while Juno recovers. As soon as he’s cleared from medical complications, they’ll be setting off again. But for now, everyone gets to rest. Juno gets to slow dance with Peter in a run-down old building on the planet they just liberated. It doesn’t matter where they go next, so long as they go their together. Juno smiles into Peter’s shoulders, grinning like he’s a kid again. He finally gets to see the stars with the love of his life, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow. This fic came out literally 12 times longer than I had initially intended. It started as a labor of love and I never actually expected anyone else to read or enjoy it this much, but here we are. I could not have had a more lovable audience! Thank you so much to everyone's support and kind words in the comments. Y'all have really kept me motivated with this fic. There are a couple little things I want to share for anyone who cares to read it, but regardless I hope to write more for TPP soon.   
> The songs I included at the beginning of each chapter are, for the most part, from a character playlist I made for Juno and Nureyev. I don't know if you've listened to all of them, but some of them are especially poignant. Girl From Mars is the first song I knew all the words to, and it was basically written for these too. A lot of what happens in this fic are where I kind of have been leaning for the story to go after the season 2 finale, so we shall see how accurate some of my predictions for season 3 are. Regardless, this is a story I'm proud of and I'm happy to have shared with other enthusiastic fans.  
> The other part of this story comes from my own extremely similar experiences. Seriously, it terrified me the first time I listened to the show because it felt like the creators had plucked my brain for my emotional baggage. As such, Juno is very near and dear to my heart, and I drew on a lot of my personal experience with his situation to make the bulk of the angst in this story. That so many of you have commented positively on how I've portray him and his feelings really makes me sappy. We all deserve that good good character development, and it's really made me feel more confident as a writer.  
> I think that's all I really have to say? If you want to chat about this fic or the show, you know where to reach me. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you! <3


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